Carnival of Rust
by Vermillion Lynn
Summary: In the midst of a temper tantrum Joker falls victim to the Mad Hatter, who traps Joker in a place not even he knows how to escape...his mind.
1. Chapter 1: Breathe the Name

**A/N: So this is going up earlier than I had planned because I watched Batman Begins and felt obligated. This is the first of a few short stories I have drafted to keep my little universe going until the official Paradise Lost sequel: Apocrypha. Now, by 'short' this is by no means a true 'short' story, but considering how long my stories run this is short. Now, the main comic villain in this story is not in Nolanverse at all, but I'm giving him a shot I made him pretty damn spooky. I also tore a page from Nolan's little Inception book so this should be fun : ). Happy reading lovelies- xoxo Vermi **

**Carnival of Rust**

Gotham had been plagued by thunderstorms for at least the past week; the skies blanketed a consistent gray and flash flood warnings all over the place. Naturally such weather had kept people inside with the exception of the citizens holding black umbrellas to represent the sad, sad city and all that went with it. Crime, corruption, villains, vigilantes…clearly Gotham was not considered a point of interest for vacationers if they valued their lives. Heaven opening up and pouring onto the surface of the earth didn't just keep all but the working class inside; ironically the crime rate lowered during inclimate weather. Even the likes of Joker and Minx were confined to Mindy's penthouse in the building next to her legal husband's, Bruce Wayne. Boy was he regretting that marriage, yet his mission in life seemed to be revolved around getting her back so maybe it wasn't such a disappointment to him. Considering that he channeled everything towards her estranged husband who was declared dead over twelve years ago.

Instead of being annoyed at the weather for confining him to his significant other's (of twenty-six years since they were five-years-old) penthouse, Joker was kind of taking the time to unwind and pace about the fifteen-thousand-square-foot mod-inspired residence his popstar wife had purchased on her own accord before they officially got back together. Practically everything was white, pink, or black granite since she designed the place, but he didn't really care.

The war paint had been long-washed from his face to allow the aggravated scar tissue to breathe on his cheeks while his skin regained its lightly tanned pigment his Australian heritage had brought him. Sleeping problems still plagued him, but Mindy had forbid him from taking any sort of pill due to his severe tardive dyskinesia he got from abusing her antipsychotics twelve years ago. Instead, after he was sure she fell asleep he would make himself endless cups of black coffee and smoke cigarettes all through the night; mainly trying to plot for when the weather cleared up or staring out one of the many glass windows. Occasionally one or a few of his four daughters (all under the age of eight) would stay up with him and talk about nothing for hours. It was mindless he didn't mind being mindless when there was nothing better to do. He had to ensure his wife slept though; the antipsychotics and antidepressants for her paranoid schizophrenia could make her really sick. She was a tiny thing as it was; only four-foot-ten and around ninety-five pounds with half that weight being breast implants. He didn't want to waste his suit either so he just put on one of his old plain dull red t-shirts and gray sweatpants since he hadn't left the penthouse in nearly a week.

Admittedly he was stir-crazy, but his attention was zoned on the downpour and the serene chill it brought in the dead of night. Moments of peace in this madhouse between Mindy and the girls were few and far between, and that greatly annoyed him; yet at the same time would feel weird if it all were to stop. He hated it, but there was no way he could really live without it…the bitches had wormed their way under his skin. Times like this made him think how different their lives would have been if their only son was still alive…but his death was necessary to make her come back to him. Carly though…the one who should have been their oldest three years before Amber (their eight-year-old) was born, died in utero due to his involvement with the Red Hood gang. That was the biggest blunder of his life, why everything was what it was now…but there was no use crying over spilled milk. Things were what they were; in fact, he never actually recalled the past life until a time like this.

Sniffling quickly he took a long drag of his cigarette, keeping his pensive stare out the window when his six-foot-three frame was hugged from behind. The arms were short, pale, and stubby.

"Kitten…" he knew.

"I could not sleep," the high-pitched thick Canadian accent pouted, making him have to smile endearingly though she couldn't see from behind, "Come to bed, Jax."

"I can't," licking his lips he shook his head and made no motion to return her embrace at first, but her head nestled into his lean back and he had to do something at this point. Reaching an arm back he pulled her beside him and kissed the top of her head, "I gave you Nyquil you should be out COLD,"

"There was the Floor Man under the bed…" ice-blue eyes lifted and she nodded at him worriedly, absolutely petrified of her schizophrenic hallucination he was familiar with, "You have to make him go away,"

"Oh?" licking his lips and grimacing his eyebrows rose, "But if I know the Floor Man he would try to pull your ankles and rip you under the bed the moment your feet touched the floor…" he smirked smugly, "how did you get here, Kitten?"

Mindy floated about three inches in the air and he nodded before running his fingers through her hip-length frizzed (from not straightening) wavy, dyed-raven hair.

"Ah," he smiled thinly and nodded, "I see…" raising his eyebrows and turning his gaze back towards the window he stuck the cigarette between his lips and puffed.

"Whatcha doin'?" pouting her collagen-fused lips and squinting Mindy shifted from foot to foot impatiently and tried to see out the window when he shrugged.

"It's hard to tell NOW…" licking his lips he bent to her eye level and motioned with a lithe hand out the window, "but," his tone had changed back to his deep, husky native Australian accent subconsciously, "when it gets light out, I'll show ya…the sky might be all gray and dark, but the COLORS…" grinning a bit he flashed his cigarette-stained teeth to her and rested the side of his face against hers, "everything looks so much more vibrant, it's beautiful."

Placing her French-manicured, child-sized hand to the side of his face she nodded a few times like a toddler before craning her neck so their lips brushed. She kissed his lower lip, paying special attention to a scar right on and below.

She grinned coyly and rubbed her narrow pointed nose against his, "Who are you and what have you done with my pain in the ass?"

His eyebrows rose at that and he curled his lips, "WELL…" sighing he ran a hand through his recently-washed poorly dyed green hair with long blonde roots, "HE'S been sardined into a pretty pink PENTHOUSE for over a week and in dire need of a life,"

"What are you, a plant?" smirking she shook her head and tried not to laugh, "You need the sun for photosynthesis?"

He gave her a disbelieving look, speaking in his high-pitched Joker voice yet again, "Do YOU even know what 'photosynthesis' MEANS, Kitten-doll?"

"Sun makes chlorophyll!" grinning widely now she beamed like she expected a dog treat or something for that answer.

"Which is…?" he waved a hand in a circular motion, clearly looking for more when she gave him that signature blank stare and he could only roll his eyes, groan, and kiss her forehead, "Why don't you get to bed?"

She frowned and now scoffed the ground with her bare little foot, "Alone?"

"I leave EVERY NIGHT and you don't realize it…" giving her a look he sneered, "just PRETEND, like you do everything else in your life,"

Scowling now she barred her teeth and smacked his arm, "I do NOT pretend SHIT, Jack! YOU are the pretender always making LIES about ME and US and YOU and EVERYONE because you are a BULLY! And I do not like you! I do not care if I never see you again because all you are is MEAN all the time MEAN and," starting to cry now she hugged herself and stamped her foot, "I LOVE YOU, Jack!"

"I'm sure," he rolled his eyes and wrinkled his nose before gritting his teeth to try and pull himself through the episode without strangling her.

The thin, barely visible scars shooting up from the corners of her mouth at his courtesy had moved with her expression, making her smile despite the fact that she was so angry.

"You hate me, don't you?" shivering now her gigantic blue eyes had nearly bugged out of her head and she cried, clutching her temples and stamping her foot.

He could only shake his head in bewilderment, pouting his lips and furrowing his brow, "How do you even draw a LINE to that? YOU know I need pills…" stalking closer now he wished he had a knife on him to whip out and scare her, "YET…" backing her against a far wall he threw his cigarette in an ash tray and pinned her arms with both of his, "YOU…" his head cocked, "for some unknown reason…" he scowled and tried to shrug it off, "refuse to let me have ACCESS over a PETTY fear that already HAPPENED so-"

"YOU HAVE TARDIVE DYSKINESIA I AM NOT MAKING IT WORSE!" shrieking she barred her teeth and wanted to smack his face but he held her arms down. He was no idiot he knew all her little moves at this point, he knew what she would do next…twenty-six years of relationship prepared him for that.

"ANTIPSYCHOTICS, MIRANDA MARIE!" he barked and shook his head with a scowl, "Ambien is a SLEEPING pill! I CAN'T SLEEP, KITTEN! AT ALL!"

"So?" shrugging she sniffled and tried to squirm out of his hold, and he did let her go but she didn't move from the wall, "Take fuckin' Nyquil! It knocks ME out,"

"It's not STRONG enough for me, Kitten…" he grumbled, trying to contain his anger but it was incredibly hard, "You're the size of my LEG; of COURSE it knocks you out!"

"So WHAT?" she shrugged nastily and placed her tiny palms to the white wall behind her, "You are telling me you can only take HARD shit? WHY?"

"BE-CAUSE…" he growled now, cocking his head dangerously and licking his lips, "Kitten…"

"So stop drinking COFFEE and SMOKING," shrugging again she folded her little arms across her broad chest, "Of course you cannot sleep all you consume is CAFFEINE! IDIOT!"

"I can't deal with this…" shaking his head and raising both hands in surrender he pulled from the wall only to be tugged right back by his long right arm, that made him snap right in her face, "WHAT? WHAT'S YOUR ISSUE NOW?"

"JACK!" whining now, she hugged his arm and swayed waywardly, "I cannot SLEEP! I NEED you, I do! Just lay and PRETEND!"

"That's BORING," scowling he shook his head when she leaned down and sat right on his foot, making his dark eyes widen and he just stared at her on his foot, "Kitten?"

"Nope," being obstinate now she shook her head and huffed, "Not moving."

"Oh my god…" tempering himself miraculously he lifted her right off his foot and swung her little body over his shoulder like a bag of apples, "Stop this, alright? Let's just—OW GOD DAMN IT, KITTEN!" normally he was immune to pain, but she bit his ear so hard he had to yelp and nearly drop her.

Hissing like a feral cat she nodded satisfactorily and he couldn't take it any longer.

"You want a god damn milkshake?" that was the key to making her take her prescriptions. He had to somehow concoct a milkshake with all seven of her medications cracked open and poured inside so she wouldn't taste it. It was a schizophrenic trait to avoid taking pills. He would know, he had the exact disorder but at nineteen years old abused the hell out of her pills thinking she had left him forever during a large misunderstanding, and gave himself tardive dyskinesia on top of paranoid schizophrenia. The rest of his issues including the Joker stemmed from there.

She leaned and kissed him, which he took as a yes and sighed while holding her in a wedding carry now.

"Alright then…" it was too early for her pills, but clearly she needed them something scary. Shaking his head he licked his lips and tried to remind himself she wasn't like this all the time. They saw eye to eye, they had FUN, she was a musical prodigy as well as possessing a highly impressive intellect, and the zaniness was just part of her obnoxious personality.

He sat her down on a counter, checking back several times to make sure she stood put…and she did. Patiently she sat there, twirling her hair and singing to herself while watching him lovingly. Admittedly he liked her eyes on him, though still he clicked his tongue while shaking his head.

"You SLAY me, Kitten…" shaking his head he finished cracking and mixing her pills in before handing the glass over. Squeaking like a mouse of some kind she made him jump while tearing the tall pink-stained glass from his hands and drinking. Instead of walking away like his initial plan was, he placed his hands over her knees and watched her take her antipsychotics.

Looking at him with wide eyes she leaned forwards and they kissed, she already expecting him to take it further but he didn't. Instead he shook his head and pet her face quick.

"Once tonight was enough, Kitten, I'm not a machine"

"But I love you, Jax…" pouting her plumped lower lip she leaned in and kissed him deeply, and though she was waiting for the mutual response from him she got nothing.

The disappointment was tangible, so dropping his eyes he turned and left.

"Bruce would have told me he loved me…"

That set him off in a way she actually gasped at.

"Well you KNOW WHAT, Kitten?" scowling he slammed a fist to the counter and barred his teeth, going to say something completely vulgar but he didn't. Turning his back he left for the stairs and stormed right up into their now-shared bedroom, throwing on his purple suit and applying his makeup before moving right back downstairs to see her worriedly standing there waiting for him.

"Jack…!"

Shaking his head he scowled and went for the door even though she grabbed his arm, "You want the Batman so desperately take a WALK next door because I am fucking DONE."

No he wasn't. He liked scaring her though. Leaving her crying in the foyer he slammed the door shut and left for the elevator.

_D' you breathe the name of your saviour in your hour of need, _

_And taste the blame if the flavor should remind you of greed?_


	2. Chapter 2: Ill Will

**A/N: Thank you so much :D! XPsychoBabyDollX: Nawwww hun thank you so much :D! I absolutely adore this song too! This story is basically based off the music video and the entire song in general ;) awesome stuff ahead I promise. x-xZombie-Queen: Awww thankies I love this song too :). This isn't a happy story at all, but the song is just gorgeous. redsandman99: You know I love you :P **

One would have to be insane to be on the streets at this hour in the pouring rain. Joker lit a cigarette after he exited one of the back doors to Mindy's building so he didn't have to deal with any of that lobby bullshit. In full Joker garb that wouldn't have been too intelligent. Rain beat down on him so hard his poorly-dyed green hair was completely in his face and saturated in a matter of seconds; the clown makeup nearly smeared off and dripped all down his face and neck…onto the collar of his button-down shirt. He wasn't thinking about that when he left. Son of a bitch. Now he HAD to go 'home' at some point because his wife had personal tailors who could do something about the stains or, as she often swore by, rubbing seltzer water onto it. She had a lot of nifty little tricks she happened to pick up all by herself that he found useful.

The streets were DEAD. He liked it better that way, but regardless there was just no one. Taking a long drag of his cigarette and holding his free hand over the butt so the rain wouldn't put it out, Joker peered into every alley he passed by for someone to terrorize and take his marital strain out on. He wasn't the type to rape. He'd never forced anything like that in his life beside the fact that the only person he had ever put his hands or mouth on was who he left behind out of anger.

The lamps did nothing but make it harder for him to see where he was going. They were as useful as flipping on the high beams of a car in fog. All his knives clanked against the other in his pockets as well as his pistol that he always kept close by incase he felt the urge to blow someone's brains away.

He made a few lefts, trying to find his way into the seediest section of the city he could find. Of course his wife lived in the uptown with all the rich yuppies. If there was any crime there at all it was his own doing because he lived so close. Though he still didn't have a dime to his name, he kind of missed the life where he had been a dirt-poor high school dropout being overworked and underpaid to support Mindy and her astronomical medical bills. When his drunken father murdered his mother when he was eleven he kind of latched onto Mindy to fill in as his mother too even though she was eight months his junior. He worked as a chemical engineer at a plant in Toronto, Ontario, Canada since that was where his parents immigrated to when he was five and there he met Mindy in kindergarten.

He missed her already. All that shit he had gone through to pull her away from the Batman…and now here he was…leaving his kids to their psychotic mother.

CRASH!

Excited now, Joker's eyebrows rose and he smiled to himself because he knew he was getting into lesser parts of Gotham. A wife/girlfriend/hooker had actually thrown a CHAIR out a third-story window and was screaming at some poor bastard. Shaking his head and tilting his head all the way back he tossed his cigarette to the ground and chuckled weakly at the domestic dispute. Now THAT reminded him of home. For a few minutes he just licked his lips and relaxed listening to the arguing couple before pulling another cigarette out to smoke it.

"Do you see something you like?"

Eyes widening, Joker furrowed his brow and craned his neck to the left towards the direction of the middle-aged man's voice. He wasn't scared or anything, just a little off-guard.

"May I…" squinting as the rain beat down on his face, he cocked his head, "HELP you?"

"I could ask the same" out through the shadows stepped a short man with gray dress pants, a navy blue trench coat, a black giant bow tie, a yellow collar, and white gloves holding a black umbrella over his head. He was blonde, massive over bite, and spoke with a heavy English accent…not to mention the Alice in Wonderland Mad Hatter impersonating hat, and Joker just had to be out with it.

"You have an UNUSUALLY large head…" nodding while wagging one of his short knives in his hand he licked his lips and cocked his head, "Have you considered seeing a DOCTOR for that macrocephaly? You MAY have brain cancer-"

"And YOU may have lung cancer at this point in time, young man"

Being addressed this way wasn't something he could say he was used to or fond of. He was thirty-years-old. And clearly this freak knew it as he surveyed Joker's disheveled appearance from the rain.

"Tell me, young man, that your teeth are stained so yellow naturally when I KNOW you brush them or they would have all fallen out of your head…your vocal chords are damaged, your hairline is receding, your skin has aged prematurely, you reek of an ash tray," he smirked, "and you're awake at three in the morning wandering the streets to have yourself another light"

"Look…" breathing through his teeth, Joker sighed, "I don't know…" he shrugged, "WHO you are…" a click of the tongue, "or WHAT you want…I was right here" he held up his pack of cigarettes though it was getting rained on heavily so he put them back quickly, "trashing my own respiratory system, minding my own business…why don't you just go hop back into whatever bad storybook you came from, hm?"

"I know who you are, and I know where you came from"

Immediately Joker reached into his jacket to grab the loaded handgun, but this guy caught it.

"THAT won't be necessary…" pulling a gun of his own, the man clearly was warding Joker away from a game of fastest finger.

"You know what…?" sighing Joker went to turn away, but actually thought a moment and remembered his cardinal rule never to turn his back on anyone. If he wanted to make an exit, he would have to literally move backwards and he didn't have Minx's feline hearing to help him out and pinpoint where this guy was in relation to him. She was great at that, being a copilot. The mutilation Borehamwood Mental Hospital put her through in Toronto when she was twelve became her biggest blessing, despite the fact that it was completely unethical and they should have all been jailed. Cats can 'see' things like schizophrenics, so they gave her feline corneas that glowed at night. Cats can hear and smell what humans could not, so the schizophrenic received the olfactory glands of a housecat as well as the vocal chords of a housecat, her eardrums replaced, and the claws of a puma that were retractable and passed as her manicured fingernails. She also had been injected with Xium that gifted her with flight. Now if only the schizophrenia cure was in there somewhere.

"You lived a hard life, I know…" the man nodded, which made Joker really try to find his gun when he looked up at the guy and suddenly forgot what he was reaching for…it was the strangest thing. In fact he was frozen; completely frozen as he stood. Dark, empty eyes with running smoldering black makeup focused dead ahead at that hat. "I'm terribly sorry about your mother slain at your brazen father's hand when you were only a boy…and your mentally ill life partner…your Autistic toddler…your own severe schizophrenia…the fact that you sold your soul to the Red Hood gang to try and provide a better life for your young family which ultimately led to your new personality…I know everything ABOUT you, Jack Andrew Napier. You were born on April 4th of 1981, your wife on December 18th of that year. Your death certificate states you died on January 22nd of 2001. Your father's name was Kim, your mother Sally. You killed your father and your wife's father in two-year successions. You have an addiction to oxycodone, a bracelet-tattoo on your left wrist you cover with foundation makeup that reads 'MATSC', or Miranda, Amber, Thorn, Scarlett, and Chelsea. You have two self-designed tattoos on your shoulders; one of the sun, earth, and moon while the other points you towards the center of the universe…your own ego shining through your skin. You have not ventured out here because you wanted to escape your own wife, you are distraught…distraught over the young woman who betrayed and attempted to forever leave you. You are WEAK, Mr. Joker…a broken man trying to make up for ruining your own life at nineteen years old."

Joker just stood paralytic, completely subject to whatever hold that hat held on him. He had slipped almost into a zombie-like state. He made no sound, he couldn't move. It was so painful though in a trance; it was hard to breathe, impossible to think…his memory was no longer his. Any thought he had this madman was subject to. The man in the trench coat sniggered to himself as Joker's entire life from his early childhood in Perth, Australia to meeting Mindy in Richmond Hill, Toronto, Ontario, Canada to losing his mind. The way he used to THROW himself after the faux-blonde siren…pathetic. What a sad, pathetic monster. That Joker persona may have completely killed the Jack, but nearly every moment a flash of his precious darling 'Kitten' would appear.

Such knowledge…staring at how stiff Joker was standing; eyes wide and dead-set on him with absolutely nothing passing through them the man laughed yet again and shook his head.

"Oh Joker…I've been admiring your HANDIWORK in this city for some time now" nodding he looked the young man over, "tonight I will BREAK you…it is just a matter of how…how to break a broken man, I could not do this job myself, but I know who CAN. You call her your 'Kitten', my dear boy you've been bitten. Gotham has no room for you now, you're all washed up. You belong in Arkham taking medication from a cup. Guns may not scare you, but I know what will. I'll delve into your deepest thoughts and prove you love her still. Once she leaves you tonight consider your life stole, you will DIE in your own rabbit hole!"

Reaching into his coat pocket he pulled out a thermos filled with hot tea, which he tossed right into Joker's eyes before placing a strange helmet on the gaunt man's head and pulling hapless Joker along by his sleeve.

_Of implication, insinuation and ill will, 'til you cannot lie still,__  
><em>_In all this turmoil, before red cape and foil come closing in for a kill_


	3. Chapter 3: The Skies of Lust

**A/N: Thank you so much for your reviews :DD! XPsychoBabyDollX: Nawww thank you, you're so sweet! Mad Hatter's hat is a mind reading and mind control device in Batman world ;). x-xZombie-Queen: Mad Hatter is one of Batman's weirder villains, and for that I like him. Thank you so much! redsandman99: XD I know he seems like the world's best stalker, don't he? The Dead Clown is in for a world of shit, I can guarantee this story is the ultimate mindfuck. **

The most vibrant star-clustered night sky Joker had ever seen hovered the earth with swirling cumulus blue-tinted clouds stacked so they barely reached the crescent moon…that bore a humanistic face with a hooked nose and crooked smile. It was SMILING? The moon was SMILING? Those beautiful clouds contained a light rain that beat down on Joker's head, making him wrinkle his nose because he was wet already. With a grimace he tried to find one of his knives just for comfort, but his pockets were empty. He carried about twelve different knives and a handgun…and as his breathing heightened he frantically ripped his long purple jacket off to pat around…yet it was empty.

"Oh fuck me…" shaking his head he patted down his pockets, not even the gold stopwatch Mindy had bought him to replace the old one he gave Amber was there. Nothing. How could he be so stupid? Did he leave his brain back home too when he left? He must have truly lost it when she expressed her preference for BatWayne. He didn't even know where he was. All he remembered was leaving to go have a smoke and what? Not even a pack of cigarettes remained in his pockets. He was truly losing his mind; it was gone twelve years ago but now he was sure of it. The fucking moon was smiling; of course he crossed the line into insanity.

1940's inspired streetlamps stood across from the wet street pavement he stood in the center of making a military-perfect straight line all down the road. They stopped though, at the wrought-iron gates to what looked like a closed amusement park. A sign hung above the gates but he was too far off to read it at night. During the day his eyes were acute enough to read it, but right now that was practically impossible especially with the rain factor. At least it was a light drizzle. Sniffling and licking his lips he reached into the jacket pocket he kept his prepaid phone in to check for any missed calls from Kitten, but alas his phone was gone. Fucking everything, did he even take his cigarettes with him or did he imagine it? He must have been pretty fucking pissed off to leave without a THING and wander here…this didn't even look like Gotham. It didn't look like any city…yet dark gray 1940's inspired three-story flats lined the sides of the streets. Little wrought-iron gates fenced in the basement apartments of the flats but it was just odd. Not one light outside of the amusement park and street lamps…not one car on the road. He was standing in the middle of the street looking towards the amusement park.

Just out of curiosity he craned his neck behind him to see this same continuous display of flats and streetlamps went so far back they blurred in the distance. He was in a rat trap it seemed.

"I don't think I'm in Kansas anymore…" he sighed with a shake of the head. How fucking far did he walk? Where did he come from? He didn't even know what direction was right. Nobody was fucking around either. Not like he had a weapon to get them with though, he had to be creative.

Running a hand through his long poorly-dyed green hair wet-slick to his face and getting in his eyes, Joker removed his gloves and noticed he still had a wedding band on his left ring finger along with the wrist tattoo. His makeup on his hand clearly had been washed off. He smoothed his hair back to actually come off as a semi-gentleman because his hair straightened when wet; it lost that natural wave. In the makeup department he couldn't imagine what he looked like. It had to be all run over the place by now. What direction to go in…that was the question? Clearly standing there like an idiot wasn't getting him far or HOME for that matter.

Did he actually WANT to go home? Damn. There's a first for everything. That lovely exchange with Kitten wasn't leaving him alone even though he brushed it off his shoulder hours ago. She always accused him of pushing her away, yet the SECOND he tried to meet her halfway she would go back to his sworn enemy because he made her 'feel' better. Fucking cunt. Twenty-six years together. He fucking hated her.

A window opened. A small window on the third floor of a flat about two behind him. Instinctively he twisted his torso at the first noise he had picked up other than rain hitting pavement to see a teensy tiny young woman about his age with lengthy raven hair that was straight and slightly wind-tousled, icy skin, a short black minidress with white lace at the hem hanging from right underneath her clearly surgically-enhanced breasts, a pink ribbon tied in a bow to keep the two lace pieces on, and a black ribbon tied around her neck…the outfit was odd unless she was a prostitute or something…or something…she was standing in ripped fishnet tights right outside the window and now he knew who that was. It was unmistakable.

"HEY!" barking up from the street and moving closer he got her attention from standing on the window ledge, "KITTEN!"

Eyeing him warily her disproportionately big blue eyes widened and her collagen-fused lips pouted. That was her alright.

"What are you doing, Kitten?"

Completely ignoring him she faced forwards; looking down and clearly trying to drown out how he was stepping closer to the flat and staring at her. That was clearly not their building. What the fucking hell was she doing up there.

Running a hand through his hair and groaning he stepped closer and shook his head.

"Why are you throwing yourself from a window when you can just…" he licked his lips and grimaced, "float back up?"

The more he looked at her the more he realized something was wrong. Her eyes…they were supposed to glow at night. They weren't glowing.

"HEY! You CUNT listen to me!" clenching a fist and barring his teeth he awaited a reaction from her but got absolutely none, "KITTEN!"

She gulped, whimpering and crying from the sill with running purple eyeshadow and black mascara on her face. Did he upset her THAT badly?

"Kitten! What the HELL are you doing up there?" still he shook his head, at a loss for understanding it all. She still didn't move from the sill, which was making him crazy and he shook his head frantically at her from his spot on the ground. "You get down from there, you understand me? You fucking bitch you get down from that sill before you hurt yourself!"

She only cried harder; that made him emit a nasal growl and he ran a hand over his face.

"Look…what I said before I didn't really MEAN it, alright? You know I just say things without realizing what's coming out of my mouth, Kitten don't do this don't punish me."

No response, but she looked close to letting go.

"Eh-EH-EH-EH-EH I TOLD YOU NOT TO PUNISH ME! DON'T YOU FUCKING PUNISH ME YOU CUNT THAT I HATE!"

Still she wasn't letting up. He shifted from foot to foot uncomfortably and licked his lips while memorizing the far right window she was trying to kill herself out of. Immediately he rushed up the steps to the door and pounded a fist as hard as he could to the red planked wooden door.

"HEY! HEY! OPEN THE FUCKING DOOR! OPEN IT NOW OR I'LL FUCKING BREAK IT DOWN! HEY!"

No response and she was still hanging right on the windowsill. Along with the rain a breeze had swept his long wet green hair.

"You stay PUT!" he pointed to her at the sill and she didn't acknowledge his presence, "You understand me? STAY."

He nodded to reassure himself more than anyone before licking his lips and shaking his head at the locked door.

"What? Is no one ALIVE in this town?" shaking his head he ran a hand through his hair and curled his lips in. The door wasn't opening by itself and no one was helping him. "I'm coming, Kitten" nodding to her even though she wasn't looking his way he licked his lips and gave the door a quick front kick right by the keyhole, that caused wood to splinter everywhere and with a grunt he rammed the door open all the way with his shoulder. He learned to break down doors when he was a teenager and Kitten would lock herself in a room attempting to commit suicide in a schizophrenic funk.

The moment he stepped inside it was so dark not even the crescent moon with a face was creating a good reflection for him to go off.

"What the hell is this, ghost town?" shaking his head he immediately went for the stairs, not even really checking anything else he had been so distraught, "KITTEN!" he nearly tripped twice up the two sets of stairs, but his legs were so long he was able to skip a few steps here and there before pinpointing which door he knew was the right one due to her location near the top of the flat. "KITTEN! You BITCH!" he made it to the door and again, heaved a breath before kicking the wooden thing in and catching his breath right afterwards. His smoker's lungs weren't accustomed to this much physical activity he tired much quicker than the average man.

The dark apartment was small…it had a kitchenette, living room, bathroom, and a bedroom. In an eerie way especially with the peeling yellow wallpaper it reminded him of his and Kitten's first shitty little apartment together in Toronto when they first married at eighteen. They could afford next to nothing when they married but now? She was the cash cow of the music industry…none of this made sense but he kind of liked it. Not the throwing out the window part…

"Hey! Kitten-doll!" moving towards the window he swallowed hard and saw her tiny four-ten body there, holding on looking to jump and he tapped the frame to get her attention, "Kitten! Come on!"

Shaking his head he frantically slammed a palm to the frame but she didn't turn. Now he got frantic.

"PLEASE Kitten just if you would step BACK inside maybe we can…"

"WHY?" whipping that magnificent head of lengthy raven hair around she growled, "YOU don't love me! You don't CARE you never CARE" she stamped her foot and sobbed, "you do NOT!"

"Kitten…" gritting his teeth he shook his head and groaned, "Of COURSE I do, alright? YOU know I care, now STOP it, come on get inside!"

He was waving her in when she nearly took his head off, "NO!"

"Well why not?" shaking his head he eyeballed her little body and shook his head, "Did you visit BatWayne after all?"

A low growl, "NO!"

"Why not?" slapping his sides he shrugged and ruffled his own hair to get some volume back in it, "Why not, Kitten-doll, huh? Tell me, sweetheart, TELL ME or I can't-"

"FUCK YOU!" her finger went his way and she hissed, "FUCK you FUCK you FUCK you!"

"Alright…" cringing he ran a hand through his hair and nodded acceptingly, dropping his eyes, "Maybe I deserve that, but that doesn't answer why you're throwing yourself from a god damn window when you have the ability to FLY"

Her head shook immediately like he was crazy and he gawked at her.

"Bull-SHIT, no way" shaking his head he looked into her eyes that lacked the feline glow and the hands didn't possess nails that actually were retractable claws. "Bullshit."

Whimpering and crying silently she turned back around.

"Oh I know this trick…" shaking his head he turned around to leave, "You won't-"

She let go.

"NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!" moving faster than he thought he ever did in his thirty short years he threw half his body out the window and caught her right under her armpits, wrapping the arm around her chest and for a moment they just stood there. He was in shock that he actually was able to do that and she seemed pretty bewildered too, the pair just panting and swallowing spit at the height of the fall which she should have had and he shook his head with a scowl. "And to THINK that COULDA been you…" shaking his head he kissed the side of hers before using whatever strength he had in him and got her back in the window. Immediately they dropped to the ground with her sitting on top of his stomach and he heaved in that position; licking his lips and running a hand through his hair before scrambling to the window to slam it shut and lock it.

…

"WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?" Joker shrieked right in Mindy's face as she sat on a counter with her head hung and tears streaming down her face in buckets, "HUH? WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT NOT PUNISHING ME?"

"You don't love me…" sobbing she shook her head and croaked, sniffling and trying not to look at him when he lifted her chin roughly and barred his teeth like he wanted to bite her.

"Un-fucking-believable, you know that?" still holding her chin he stood more upright and licked his lips before shaking his head, "You're insane. You're unbearable. Why can't you do anything anymore?"

"Do…" pouting those collagen-fused lips she shook her head, "Do WHAT?"

Growling yet again he waved a hand and made slashing motions with his right hand, "YOU know…!"

"No" squeaking she shook her head, "I do not…what the FUCK are you talking about?"

Slapping the counter he lunged forwards to the point that she jumped backwards and whimpered, "DON'T play GAMES with ME, Kitten! I just found you in a" he shook his head out quick, "FUCKED UP version of our old apartment throwing yourself out a window!"

"YOU LEFT ME…!" sobbing she curled into a ball yet again and he rolled his eyes before pulling her legs out and shaking his head.

"I didn't…" he flipped his eyes to the ceiling and groaned, "LEAVE…Kitten. You just made me" he started fluttering his hands around, "CRAA-ZY so before I put a hole in the wall I LEFT to SMOKE"

She gave him a very dubious look, "In the RAIN…?"

"Yeah" nodding once he licked his lips; pulling her towards the edge of her counter by the ankle and placing his hands on her knees, "why can't you BELIEVE me?"

She scowled, staring him dead in the eye coldly, "Because I hate you"

"You know…" clicking his tongue and angry because he couldn't find a knife, he searched around the kitchen to find ANYTHING but there was nothing at all…not even a rolling pin, "How do you EAT Kitten there's not even a god damn knife or…"

She didn't respond; that again annoyed him.

"Kitten…" sighing he finally gave in and rubbed her knees now, "PLEASE tell me what's going on with you, WHY are you acting like a complete FREAK right now?"

That made her sob, so immediately his glove was removed from his left hand and he started petting down her cheek with the open palm fast and shaking his head.

"Nooo no no no no no sssh sh sh…" rubbing her back he leaned down and kissed her forehead, "Kitten-doll…if you were TRYING to get away from me" looking her in the eye he licked his lips and shook his head, "Clearly you remember the pact from eighteen years ago. If ONE of us goes, so does the other…?"

Looking him in the eye she scowled and shook her head with clenched teeth, "MY Jack is DEAD. He DIED. YOU killed him!"

"Maybe" shrugging he pet her cheek more and smiled weakly, "But YOU know that's my name…YOU can call me by my name…" he nodded quickly, "you know that, Kitten, you do…"

Her head nestled against the hand and he nodded with a bit of a frown, "Why are you here? Where's the little people?" he meant their children, in fact he was searching for them.

Again she looked at him strangely, "Little people?"

"CHILDREN, Kitten…" he corrected with a sharp groan, "WHERE are the objects of our PROCREATION?"

Her expression remained unchanged, "Jack…you know Carly died…"

"No, no, I KNOW THAT…" growling he waved a hand in a circle and shook his head, "We have FOUR who are still among us, remember?" he showed her the wrist tattoo, and she pouted her lips yet again.

"What are you talking about, Jack?" shaking her head she whimpered, tears filling her eyes, "We have no babies…"

"YES…" he scowled, now not thinking this was funny at all, "WHERE ARE THEY?"

Now he tore through the tiny apartment…completely empty. Not one personal item or picture…nothing. It was just a dry cell. She watched with empty eyes, tears still streaming as he came back over with a hand running over his face.

"Kitten, I…" he was sputtering at this point. All he thought about at that moment was Chelsea, the five-year-old Autistic one who was so far under his skin it wasn't fair.

"I did not think you were coming back…" shaking her head and sniffling she stared at him in pure adoration before dropping her eyes, "I thought…"

"What? That I was LEAVING you?" he shrugged, "Why? What's the POINT of that?"

"That man has a dolly…" she began while twisting her own hip-length mess of raven hair that was naturally brunette but dyed blonde and now black over the years.

"What man?" he frowned and she shook her head to shut him out, so he lifted her chin immediately, "WHAT MAN, Kitten-doll? TELL ME what man?"

"Ball game man" nodding she looked him in the eye and pointed towards the street, where he saw the closed amusement park and narrowed his eyes.

"Who's THAT?" any sentence she used with any kind of reference to a 'man' always made his temper shorten by two miles.

"At the carnival" nodding she twiddled her nails that were painted black…an unusual choice for her considering her preferred taste was sunshine and rainbows.

"Yeah?" he jerked his head her way upon heading back towards her, "And what about the man with the dolly?"

"I want it"

His eyebrows rose for her to continue as he petted her face.

"I want the dolly but I suck at games and can never win."

"So?" he shrugged, "I'll go…" he ran a hand through his hair, "rob a DOLL STORE or something let you pick whatever you want"

"No" she shook her head quick, "I want THAT one!"

Deciding now was the time to make nice before she tried to off herself in another way he pet her face and knocked his practically bare forehead to hers and cooed, "I'll take you tomorrow, alright?" his lips pressed to her forehead, "You know I always keep my promises."

She sniffled, so he moved hair out of her face before leaning in and kissing her as she sat right on the counter. It wasn't until it was returned that the strength of the rain increased outside. Hooking an arm around her lower back he pulled her body to the edge so her legs hooked around his bony hips and the kiss was deepened. With every move of her mouth against his and the way her hands would touch his hair and pet his face the rain increased to what was now a downpour.

Making out lasted a good ten to fifteen minutes before he removed his other glove and jacket, already trying to figure out the right way to remove that lingerie-inspired outfit she had on. She unbuttoned his vest and took off his tie, the signs of impending thunder beginning to form in the sky.

"Fuck do you wear these, huh?" shaking his head he just ripped open the fishnets instead of removing them as his vest and tie came off.

Kissing him deeper already she had buttons to his shirt open, so as she kissed his beige-skinned lean chest slowly his breathing faltered. Carefully he had to break her mouth from his body so the dress came off before letting her return it and pressing himself against the naked flesh between her legs that he worked hard to get exposed. He hated this. He hated sex. It was messy, unnecessary, and completely exhausting. So not worth the twenty seconds of euphoria. He did it because she liked it. As the only person he had ever had any kind of physical relationship with he appeased her by having sex. It helped keep her mind off other men.

Gripping his hair as their tongues lassoed the other, Mindy pulled back enough to breathe into his mouth and whimper, "I love you, Jax…"

Lightning hit the sky. He just heaved and stared at her with a cock of his head.

"I love you!" crying she shook her head and nuzzled his neck, "I love you I love you I love you I do! I love you Jax, I love you so much you have no idea"

He bit her lower lip and sucked it quickly before going back to kissing her so she'd stop crying. At this point in time he found no reason to have to tell her 'how he felt'…have to be an idiot not to know. There was no need to repeat it excessively if the knowledge was already on the table. He also loved that nickname. It wasn't pronounced 'Jacks' but 'Jax' with an x. That one letter told him everything about her personality and she had been using that pet name since they were kids. It was cute. After kneading her fake breasts for a few moments his hands slipped between her legs to rub them and make her moan, but only one teased the wet core. Seconds later he had managed to open his purple dress pants and thrust inside quick. Crying out as a loud sigh she hugged his bare back and kissed his collarbone as his face completely buried in her neck. Usually he talked WAY too much during sex and drove her crazy, but he was being nice today. Clearly she wasn't in a very fun mood so he got this over with. Sometimes getting that happy twenty seconds was worth all this mess. Moaning she arched her back as his pace increased and he lifted her off the counter with her legs hooked around his waist, sitting in a kitchen chair with her straddling him.

It had become a thunderstorm outside, nearly a hurricane.

_Come feed the rain__  
><em>_'cause I'm thirsty for your love dancing underneath the skies of lust_


	4. Chapter 4: Carnival of Rust

**A/N: Thank you so much for your reviews ;D!**

It was still night time when Joker opened his eyes. Normally he had insomnia and absolutely no way to get to sleep, so this to him didn't feel unusual. With a groan he rubbed his makeup-wreathed eyes and reached to the left to touch Kitten, but nothing was in the bed. He seemed to have fallen asleep in her bed, only she wasn't in it. Groaning yet again he ran a hand through his hair and could tell the rain had dramatically subsided. It was back to that light drizzle.

Licking his lips and pouting them he scanned the room, as far as nights went despite not knowing where he was or why she was acting so strange it was a good one. He would rather spend his insomnia being productive than having her kill herself.

"Kitten…" croaking he sat up and checked his flat bare chest noticing he was completely naked, but he saw that one coming. Usually he got angry and said once was enough, but last night he sucked it up and made an exception. Greatness requires sacrifice, and in her case he was a lamb just begging to get his blood smeared on a doorframe. "Kitten-doll…" shaking his hair out he pulled his pants on but didn't button them, just let them kind of hang loosely on his narrow bony waist. Being that he was so thin, what Mindy labeled on a male to be 'penis lines' were well-pronounced on his lower abdomen. "Kitten?" he tried to find a clock with the time but alas there was none, but he found her sitting on a kitchen counter completely naked and blanketed by her hair. Little knees had been pulled to her chest and she just sat staring at the drizzling rain in the darkness below. Licking his lips and shifting his weight as he muttered something to himself while staring at her, he sighed and tilted his head down, "Kitten…"

"It is eleven in the morning" she answered his unasked question and he just stood there baffled.

"Uhh…" clicking his tongue he looked out the window at that same moon and shook his head, "NO…it isn't."

"It is always dark here" she answered his unasked question in a faraway voice, "We wented to bed late, darling. It was almost six. You only sleeped five hours."

"That's five more than I get normally I guess…" rubbing the back of his neck he grimaced and just stared at her naked body, "Aren't you FREEZING, Miss Anemia?"

"No," it was a lie. Her back still hadn't turned, but he grabbed his button-down neatly folded on a counter at her courtesy for him, and he draped it over her; putting her little arms through the holes and only bothering to button the middle two.

"If I know YOU…" his eyebrows rose pointedly and he licked his lips, "you're cold."

"I hate you" that was said as nonchalant as it could possibly be, "I made you breakfast, try to eat it."

"How?" there were no cooking utensils of any kind he checked to make sure, "There's no-"

Somehow, someway a place setting was at the table with a little red flower in a vase, a few cinnamon waffles since that was the only spice he would eat, and maple syrup. He wasn't a fan of bacon or anything like that in fact, he barely ate anything. That's why he was so lean. Feeding him was always a problem because of how particular he was and he ate next to nothing. Raising his eyebrows and nodding along in astonishment he sat down and silently began to eat without even cutting, which she didn't notice because her eyes were still out the window. He checked occasionally though to see if she was looking. He liked her attention and she was clearly in no mood to give it.

"How long have you been here?" he asked plainly, trying to focus on eating since it was basically a chore for him.

Her head did not turn, "I don't know."

"Where ARE we?"

"…I don't know."

"Why aren't you your delightfully annoying self?"

"I am myself…" she pulled out a cigarette. Now his eyes narrowed and his nose wrinkled.

"You don't smoke."

No response.

"Well…" raising his eyebrows he shrugged and licked his lips, "How can you know what the sky 'always'…looks like…" he licked his lips with a pointed nod, "if you don't know how long you've been here?"

"I dunno…"

Burying his head in his hands he grit his teeth and tried to count to ten silently before tucking a fork in his pants pocket and standing to approach her by the window.

"When do you last remember me?"

"Last night. You maded me want to die and never-"

"Ssssh sh sh sh" shaking his head he curled his long fingers over her shoulders and began to rub, shaking his head immediately, "Does the sun EVER rise?"

"No,"

"Well," grimacing he looked out the window, "that just blows."

"I like rain,"

Smiling thinly he nodded and dropped his head to her shoulder like a puppy, "I know you do…"

"I miss you, Jax…" taking a drag of the cigarette she whimpered and handed over the pack to him, which he graciously took, and kissed her lower neck.

"I never went anywhere…" shaking his head with a furrowed brow he ran his fingers through her hair while sticking a cigarette in his mouth. "You have any idea where we ARE?"

"I dunno…" beginning to rattle from tears now she wrapped her arms around his neck and nuzzled her nose against his, making the rain come down harder before she buried her face into his neck and sobbed, "Don't leave me again, PLEASE never go away do not-"

He kissed her throat, hard at first but much softer as time progressed.

"Dolly," she nodded and pet his face, running a finger down the bridge of his nose as he tried to bring his mouth so it completely covered hers, "You promised."

"I did," nodding he bit at her nose and smiled thinly; ruffling his hair until she reached up and fixed it, increasing the rainfall.

He had wanted to reapply his makeup but had none on him, yet the moment he headed into the bathroom to wash his face it was all there. Raising an eyebrow he tried to ignore the oddity of it.

Applying the black around his eyes he felt two little arms wrap around his waist from behind and nothing more. Craning his neck he caught her head resting on his back with her arms tight around him. This resulted in him playfully reaching fingers covered in black back to dab paint around her eyes. Her tongue poked between her teeth. She giggled. Smiling now he pulled her by the wrist around and sat her up on the sink, lifting a short little leg around his waist since she only wore his shirt and smashing their mouths together. Her little hands drifted lower to begin to take care of him and for an unknown reason he wanted more. This was so not normal. As they kissed he fingered her, slow at first but steadily picking up pace with how hard she stroked him. Her legs opened wider and he pressed himself inside, biting her neck and digging his fingers into her skin.

Thunder and lightning hit the sky, simmering down post-orgasm when neither moved from that spot with her on the sink, kissing and panting into the other's mouth.

…

"It still looks closed, Kitten-doll…" he shook his head as they approached the gates that read, 'Carnival of Rust' on a large banner. He stared at it oddly, pouting his lips and shaking his head when the gates opened automatically. Kitten, wearing his purple coat to shield her scantily-clad body from the rain, squeezed his hand in hers and together they entered. Behind them the gates closed and he didn't like that one bit. Together they navigated in the dark to what looked like a fortune-teller box with a mannequin with peeling white makeup and a black rectangle around his eyes sitting there. It was off, everything was off, and he had two large stanchions at his sides that were off. "Kitten, I love you, but I don't think-"

She pointed to the little slot with a number to represent five cents on it, and licking his lips his eyebrows rose before grimacing.

"I don't have a nickel, sweetheart,"

She frowned, jutting her lower lip out which made him panic and shake his head.

"Oh, never mind, never mind I'm LOOKING, I PROMISE, maybe I have one…!" much to his shock he had a nickel in his pocket. A single nickel. Swallowing hard he pushed it into the slot and the mannequin sat up, revealing to be a trapped man and Joker's eyes bugged. The stanchions flashed to pictures of a star and the rest of the park around them lit up with neon lights, confusing the hell out of Joker as Mindy hugged his arm and kissed it.

_Yeah, feed the rain__  
><em>_'cause without your love my life ain't nothing but this carnival of rust_


	5. Chapter 5: True Colors Will Bleed

**A/N: Thank you for your reviews :DDD! Oh yes, there will be much more strangeness to come I can guarantee. That was only the beginning ;)**

A giant Ferris wheel titled 'The Gravity Wheel' stood off in the distance seemingly going. A roller coaster with more twists and turns than either had even seen in their lives lingered in the background as well as a gigantic swing ride…only no one was on ANY of the rides. They were all moving, but no one was on them. Two men sat on chairs right in front of the swing ride entrance. Their faces painted ghastly white just like the pasty white mannequin in the fortune box. Wearing old bowl-hats and suits they had a top hat on the floor with a painted sign, 'Will Play for Food'. They were each playing the same cello in opposite directions. Joker grimaced at the sight, but Mindy frowned and hugged his arm nestling into his sleeve.

"Aww Jack…" her lower lip pouted and she shook her head, "look at them. They are poor."

"It's a scam," he shook his head and made her turn her back to the swings, "All homeless are either mentally ILL or DRUNKS," licking his lips he shook his head, "You don't want a part of that."

"Ohhh!" her eyes popped and she nodded as if that were her first time ever hearing that, "I would not have known!"

They parented the other without realizing it. Her strength came from him and his confidence stemmed from her. She believed there truly was not a thing he couldn't do or get them out of. Joker was a genius. There wasn't a field in the world he wasn't extremely well-versed in. And none of it came from studying in school. He was a high school dropout the same time as her in their sophomore year.

"And now you know…" he nodded and hooked two of his fingers through hers, trying to figure out where to lead her, "Now where the hell is this dolly you want?"

Brightening her finger wagged ahead of them, "THERE! There there there!"

"Where?" craning his neck there was a giant booth with burgundy and yellow stripes, a sign across the bottom that read, 'Break for Freedom'. There was a bunch of swirling red and white targets that looked like peppermints. Joker surveyed three men standing outside the stand and then the inevitable…that man in the hat. It was so familiar…he knew that man in the hat…didn't he? The oversized cranium, overbite, blue suit…and he was holding a dolly. A baby doll with long blonde hair and a gorgeous dress Mindy was gaga for.

"EVENING, young lady…" one of the men on the outside in a 1940's getup with that stupid punch bowl hat said, "So NICE to see you again!"

"You saw them a first time?" yes, he was the jealous type. When it came to competition his eyes were greener than the Hudson River. She was no better though. When she thought he was sleeping with Harley? Forget it. He never heard the end of it.

"Yesterday!" she nodded and frowned, pointing towards that man who was cradling that dolly she wanted.

"Step right up, little girl…" the way that man said it made Joker's stomach churn, "I've got it right HERE for you if you would like to play again!"

"You played?" his mind going to the wrong places Joker spun her around and held her shoulders, "What the hell were you playing?"

"Throw the ball" nodding she pointed to the swirling peppermints, "Break the mints get the baby!"

"What do you say?" the hat man motioned to the baby and asked Joker in particular, who looked into those eyes for one minute as the other men motioned for her to step forwards.

"I…" licking his lips Joker shook his head, "this isn't the best idea right now. Come on, Kitten, I'll find you a MUCH better dolly than THAT"

She was disappointed, he knew that. Regardless she was a good girl and kept her fingers hooked around his; frowning at leaving the baby she wanted behind when he led her towards the gates.

"You can't get out…" she whispered lightly and he frowned at that, almost disregarding it until he tried to get out.

"You…" shaking his head he tugged on the gates and shook his head, "have gotta be shitting me."

"No I am not" she shook her head and frowned, "We are stuck."

Rattling the gate to the point that she gasped and backed off, Joker barred his teeth and kicked it in before shaking his head and charging her way.

"YOU KNOW….if you KNEW they fucking lock us in all for your stupid fucking doll you COULD have told me instead of making it a SURPRISE!"

Scoffing the ground she frowned and shook her head, "I wanted a baby"

"What?" he scowled, "THAT? You want THAT god damn ratty thing? I bet it has hepatitis! COME ON, Kitten! WHY would you get us fucking locked, huh?"

"I-if you win baby it lets you go, he says"

His face paled, "Are you telling me you KNEW about this?"

"Ish" she nodded quick and he growled, balled a fist, and wanted to pummel her but stopped. She still yelped and doubled over, but he didn't hit her. He couldn't actually bring himself to strike her. She was too pathetic.

Groaning and walking off a second to take a deep breath and calm down he ran a hand through his hair and shook his head. A hand touched his side and reluctantly he pulled her in a hug.

"I-if you win dolly maybe he will let us go"

"No" he shook his head and pet her hair like a kitten, "Absolutely not."

"Why?"

Making eye contact with the vender and feeling way too close for comfort he shook his head, "I don't trust that man, Kitten. I don't think he'll give you the doll."

"But I WANT it!" whining she whimpered and started to cry when he hugged her close and nodded.

"Let's do something FUN, okay?" pulling a cigarette from the pack she gave him he lit it up and hooked his fingers through hers once more, "What can we DO that won't involve me throwing up…?"

"You don't like spinning rides?" her lips pouted confusedly. In all their years together neither had actually ever entered an amusement park.

"After what you force-fed me this morning?" grimacing he shook his head, "No."

She nodded along as he led her towards a shadowed gate that read 'Exotic Animals' because she loved them. Since they were trapped in there anyway he felt he might as well appease before finding a way out. He had a fork in his pocket maybe he could dig their way out with that.

"I wonder what is inside" smiling gaily she released her fingers from the date-like hook he had on her and immediately he flinched.

"Kitten-"

She skipped ahead into the darkness as gates opened for them and immediately he shook his head and lunged for her.

"Kitten NO!"

Near-distance he heard her singing something mindless, but didn't have a lighter or phone to see two inches in front of his own face.

"Kitten NOW! This isn't a god damn GAME get OUT and COME BACK! Before I drag you back by your hair!"

No response yet again so he tried the next best thing. He slapped his thighs.

"Alright Kitten, that's it…" turning his back he walked towards the exit, "I'm leaving."

For a few moments he waited, but no response yet again so he rolled his eyes and growled. Deciding to head out of the darkness hoping she would see him on the other side and leave. Joker reached the gates when they closed in his face and he shook his head frantically.

"No…" swallowing hard he whipped his head around, "No no no no NO are you SHITTING me? KITTEN!"

Crunching leaves and a howl…a canine howl.

"Kitten?" spinning around on his heel Joker found nothing but darkness as false security to lure him inside. "Kitten!"

Silence and a longer, louder howl.

"Alright, stop FUCKING around Kitten, and-"

A flash of light ahead of him put Mindy sitting in the center of a pack of laying wolves, eyes all glowing red and glaring at him.

"Kitten…" shaking his head frantically he observed the way she just sat there in the center of it all, unaffected by being growled at, "Kitten, get away from them…"

Their eyes were glowing red…even her eyes he could swear were. Red clearly was always a shit sign. The wolves looked starved, thin and clearly if she made any sudden movements they'd eat her. He liked dogs. They were the only animals he really took a liking too but they were NOT reliable. They were not faithful. And though he considered himself a 'dog chasing cars' he knew there was fundamentally no difference between him and those animals. When hungry those dogs would do anything and eat anyone to survive, and he loved junkyard dogs for it. Growing up the only pets he had were junkyard dogs, which were alive simply to kill all who entered their territory because they grew so used to the taste of live prey. He had a beautiful beige Boxer-Pitbull mix named Shelby when he was a kid, and he fucking loved that thing. If there was a thing he ever loved it was her. He raised her up from a puppy he found on the street and she died because his father had to grab the shotgun one night after he talked back to him. He had that dog for about seven and a half years. He had a few others before and after her, mutts mostly. Mindy had three cats and that African Serval for their daughter Thorn; so, chances of having a permanent dog again were slim.

"Kitten!"

They growled. Swallowing hard Joker licked his lips and tried to figure out how he could take them all out quickly. He had a fork in his pocket. The possibilities of things he could do with it were endless. One by one they left her side to start circling him, and knowing animal behavior the way he did he didn't do as much as flinch. But he didn't play dead either. Instead he returned the scowling faces they were giving him and slightly flared his arms, looking to Mindy to come over so he could at least have her in hand if something happened and they could get out.

"Now" gently he cooed to her, but Mindy just stared hatefully at him. That, more than the wolves, scared him. "Kitten, come on! Don't do this now!"

No response. She just glared. The first wolf lunged, he jammed the fork right up through its throat using raw strength on his part and twisted it before yanking it out. The carcass was flung to the ground to send the others a message and he looked at the wolves with a scowl.

"What? Ya gonna listen to me NOW? Huh? Back off!"

They didn't listen. One actually bit his arm and he didn't do as much as yelp. Instead as the animals got a good grip on his flesh he used the fork to plunge into its red eyes and twist them out, causing the wolf to let go and scream in pain. Another lunged, so he beat it off with the sharp end of the fork before stepping on its foot.

Then there was the whimper. It wasn't a normal whimper no, the most familiar dog whimper he ever heard. Immediately snapping his eyes open there she was, about thigh-high on him with her one white paw that he stepped on.

"What the hell are YOU doing here?"

"Shelly!" that was what Mindy called her, 'Shelly'. Her name was Shelby. She was his dog. She was shot in the face by his father when he was fourteen years old. She was long dead. He had to burn her body at the junkyard he found her in.

Shelby brightened at her voice but the moment Joker took a step closer to believe his eyes Shelby growled. She never growled at him.

"Hey!" immediately he gave her a stern look, "What did I ever do to you, huh? What did I ever do to deserve that, Shel?"

Shelby lunged and bit his hand, not letting go and actually paralyzing him for a moment because the dog never bit. That was her problem. If she had actually lunged at his father she may have lived, but no. Nothing. Grime and dirt clotted to her skin but she refused to release his hand. Mindy just watched with a cock of the head, eyes scarlet.

Despite contrary belief he was a highly skilled fighter. He fought dirty, but he was damn good at it. In fact, thank Christ, he got his foot at the right angle so a knife extended from the bottom of his shoe and kicked up, getting the animal right in the gut and panting, staring at his bleeding arm and hand when the gates opened back up so he could grab Mindy and leave.

…

"I don't know where he is…" whimpering Mindy sat on Bruce's lap on a white couch at his penthouse in the building right next to hers. Their infant daughter they had together sat in her arms, their one-year-old son was in her lap, and her head was just in her hands, "I left Ambie with the babies and-"

"Bring them here, please" kissing her fingers and petting her face Bruce swallowed and kept his head cuddled against hers.

The moment she knocked on his door to be greeted by an astonished Alfred, Bruce didn't even seem angry for her leaving in the first place and completely smothered her. The Glasgow smile Joker had given her of course made Bruce crazy. He had no idea it even happened until he saw that.

"I dunno, what if he comes home?" sniffling she shook her head and hugged his neck, kissing her only baby son she hadn't seen in what felt to her like ages and hugging their daughter tighter, "Someone needs to be there for him"

"When did he leave?" petting her face Bruce kissed her lightly and she did return it out of instinct, sniffling and shrugging.

"Tonight?" she shrugged, "I dunno all I know is he is not answering his phone and I do not know where he is at all he just went away"

Now Bruce's expression tensed, "Last I checked he did that all the damn time."

"I KNOW, but…" curling her lips she rubbed their noses and frowned, "he does not just take off, he just gets mad and walks up the street to kill someone or something stupid like that. He never is gone."

"You need to stop living out of some…" he wrinkled his nose finally and scowled, "high school fantasy you know will never-"

"Did I COME HERE to get YELLED AT?" hugging Aiden and Elizabeth close to her she shook her head and scowled, "Are you gonna HELP ME or NOT, BATS?"

…

"OW!" wincing and fidgeting around as they sat near an area where the clowns were drinking before a performance for no one, Joker breathed through his teeth as Mindy applied a hot cloth to his arm and kissed it.

"You were very brave…" nodding meekly as the light drizzle soaked their hair, Mindy kissed the bloodied teeth marks on his arm and hugged it close, "I did not think you would do that"

"You just…" licking his lips and shaking his head he observed her in his coat before scowling, "STOOD THERE…WATCHING…what the hell was wrong with you?"

She went quiet, shaking her head childishly when he gave up and just watched her soak his bloodied arm.

"Why did you not leave me in there?"

"A…" his eyebrows rose and he smirked, "I was trapped…and B…" licking his lips and clicking his tongue he pinched her cheek, "Where am I gonna find another girl who will tolerate my five-year-old diet?"

Sniffling and running a single hand through his hair she had to crack a weak tear-welled smile, "I knew you were still that same nice boy who asked to share my coloring book down there somewhere…"

_It's all a game, avoiding failure, when true colors will bleed_


	6. Chapter 6: All in the Name

**A/N: Thank you so much for your reviews :D! XPsychoBabyDollX: Nawww yeah as we dig deeper into his skull his personality will be changing subconsciously ;). **

"Where could he have gone?" hugging Batman's torso as they sped through the streets on the Batpod, Minx craned her neck to the right and actually allowed the black faux-fur trimmed hood to fall off as they went; hip-length straightened raven hair getting soaked from the rain.

"You have NO way to track him…?" Batman slowed as they got to a few alleys in the more ghetto neighborhoods so they could get a closer look, and Minx physically turned his head to face her with big feline-glowing eyes.

"Are you fucking serious?" shaking her head she pulled a Joker card out of her cleavage, "Here's his business contact."

…

When Joker looked up from the trance Kitten tending his arm put him into they were in almost a tunnel; a black tunnel with a gigantic Victorian house with the sign, 'House of Wax' above it. He grimaced and licked his lips.

"I always hated these things…"

"Me too," nodding she hugged his arm and he turned away from it.

"We're going another way," he turned, but there was nothing. A nasal snarl and he slapped his hand into the black, hitting what felt like a wall and feeling it all around them, "Mother fucker…" cursing to himself he patted along the wall before taking her hand and just moving forwards. She still wore his long purple coat with his gloves tucked inside and he had the sleeves to his button-down rolled up at this point. The rain lightly beat down on them and he imagined his makeup was totaled again. "I can't believe she fuckin' bit me,"

"Maybe Shelly was SCARED," Mindy nodded thoughtfully; her two fingers his were hooked through lightly stroking his beige skin.

"No she wasn't…" his eyes dropped and he shook his head, "that was a legitimate bite she was looking to hurt me,"

"Maybe she don't recognize you as a CLOWN,"

"I'm not a clown…" getting suddenly defensive he looked her in the eye, "I'm not funny."

She laughed at that, to which he had to laugh too. Whenever anyone said 'I'm not funny', it usually caused a great deal of laughs in a twist of irony.

"You get sensitive over certain things…" frowning she stroked his fingers harder when he looked her in the eye.

"Can you blame me?"

"You are not crazy…" immediately she snared his attention and he nodded in agreement, "you have super-sanity. You are a genius. It is not your fault you are better than everybody else."

"I love you TOO, Kitten," the way he said that seemed sarcastic, but it wasn't. He just didn't deliver the words with true feeling anymore. He felt it, he did. He just couldn't let anyone know he did…including her. She walked all over him enough. "Even if you've fucked me over more often than I can call to recent memory,"

"I have NOT,"

"Kitten…" halting he spun her around and held her shoulders, "Filipino hookers don't get fucked the way I do."

She laughed into her hand to the point that he leaned down and kissed her quick before hooking their fingers together once more and heading for the stairs into the House of Wax.

"Are they alive?" she frowned and hugged his arm as he opened the door, and immediately alarmed for her he stepped in front and shook his head.

"No," licking his lips and smoothing her hair they closed the door behind them. Dimly lit lights and Joker had kind of developed an automatic strategy of keeping her closer to the wall and him closer to the displays. If anyone popped out at them he was right there with the fork and knife in his shoe. His arsenal wasn't great, but meh he would collect as he went. The first scene was of a man who looked very much like Joker in his pre-Joker days with long blonde hair with a knife jamming into a man who looked very much like his father's throat.

The pair froze uncomfortably. Joker killed his father when he was seventeen for killing his mother in a drunken rage. He fucking hated his father in more ways he could bring himself to remember. Prior to killing him he popped him in the face once when he was fifteen. He and Mindy, thinking they were home alone, were getting friendly in his bedroom when his drunken father came in unannounced, scared the hell out of her, and grabbed her wrist because Joker knew she wasn't allowed in the house. That wrist-grab was enough to drive Joker to actually strike his father in the face before snagging her and running off. That was the first and last time they ever tried to have sex in his house.

"Jack…" she hugged his arm now and he shook his head.

The setting was a garage…that was where he killed him. A fake car was there, workbench, garbage cans, everything. The workbench had Joker's eye.

"Hello…" whispering he moved from her and stepped over to the bench, trying to find tools when Mindy frowned.

"Aren't they made of wax too?"

"No, sweetheart props are real," he nodded at her once and searched the workbench with his tongue protruding from his mouth, "Hmmm…"

The wax figure of Joker as a young man moved. Mindy saw it, knew his back was turned, and said nothing. It stood up, making eye contact with a red-eyed Mindy as Joker stood in the background trying to pick out any kind of weapon, but the workbench was practically barren. The figure walked now, the figure of his father sitting up right afterwards and making Joker suddenly stiffen uncomfortably, as if he knew…counting in his head for a few seconds he grabbed a piece of sheet metal off the table, turned, and grunted while driving the sheet metal into the wax figure of himself's face until it was nearly sawed in half. It bled like a person. Mindy screamed.

"Kitten get near the door!" facing her Joker barked with a finger point as his blonde father came his way, "That wasn't a suggestion!"

Nodding she went for the door to the next display and just waited. Joker kicked forwards and grimaced at what was on the knife on his shoe, a mixture of blood and wax.

"JACK!" waving him on now Mindy hugged his arm as he came her way and he physically pushed her into the next room, slipping in right afterwards and slamming the door shut. Mindy rested against the front of his chest as his back pressed to the door and he draped an arm around her back, indirectly asking if she was alright and she nodded.

"Stay close, you understand?" running a hand through his hair he licked his lips and they kissed, "Good girl."

"How did you know they were coming?"

He froze and swallowed hard, "When YOU'RE involved? It'll amaze you."

"Mama Bear syndrome?" she poked her tongue between her teeth and he nodded along.

"Something like that."

Immediately moving her beside him again he checked the next display to see it was him AGAIN giving Mindy's father a Colombian necktie in his kitchen.

As a child Mindy's bible-thumping lunatic parents kept her in a dog kennel when they weren't beating, molesting, and torturing her. She offed her own mother at the age of twelve by driving scissors through her eyes as she slept, but he took care of her father after Mindy was released from Borehamwood Mental Hospital at fifteen. He killed Mindy's father when he was fifteen so when she was released there was no way he could come for her ever again. He was a guard dog for her, he always was.

"Kitten…" just as he saw the figure opening its eyes he was pushing her for the door, "Go, go, go, go, GO GO GOOO!"

"Jack" shaking her head Mindy tried to move but he was pushing her too fast, "what is it-"

"Fight or flight fight or flight! Too much fight today!" that was a psychology joke Mindy would have understood if she had more brain cells.

Before the next figure could reach them he had bolted them into the next room, where Rachel Dawes was strapped to a chair in a room of gasoline and Harley Quinn's body lay with a slashed throat close by.

"What is this, a coloring book of my handiwork?" shaking his head Joker tried to move for the next room when Harley's hand grabbed Mindy's ankle. She screamed and immediately Joker amputated the wrist with a single stomp before hugging her close under a single arm.

"HELL-OOOOOO?" that was Rachel, and even Joker jumped at that. She was the first one to speak.

"FUCK!" Mindy shrieked and Joker pushed her through the next door into the next room that made both their eyes widen.

Bodies. Everywhere. Representing clearly every life Joker had ever taken. He wasn't a murderer clearly due to his mental illness, it was all homicides. Nobody could ever try to get him for murder because of his mental state, it was a beautiful thing to manipulate in court and he always wound up in Arkham.

"You know…" shaking her head Mindy scowled, "Maybe if you were not such a BASTARD all the time-"

"Oh SHUT UP, will you?" he snapped with a growl, "CHRIST almighty, Kitten you're giving me a migraine!"

"JACK you are going to DIE in here you stupid fucking son of a bitch!" slowly the figures began to open their eyes and as Mindy screamed, her eyes glowed a bright red. Joker didn't notice of course because he was pushing Mindy behind his back.

"No," reaching into his pocket he remembered the lighter Mindy used for the cigarettes that he was holding onto and lit it, "it's a fucking wax house, Kitten, it burns,"

"Jack no,"

"C'mere…" ripping her to his side he swallowed hard and whipped out his knife, lighting the nearest wall as the bodies with heavily charred waxy skin crawled across the floor to grip at their ankles.

"JACK!" shrieking she hugged his torso as the walls melted and he kicked the bodies off one by one, but there were too many. Eventually the walls caved in and he shoulder-rammed their way onto the dirt of the carnival. Mindy landed on his chest and the two just lied there on the ground, watching with wide eyes as the House of Wax burned to the ground with screaming wax people inside. "All those people…" shaking her head she whimpered and looked him in the eye, "For WHAT?"

_All in the name of misbehavior and the things we don't need_


	7. Chapter 7: No Disaster Can Touch

**A/N: Thank you for your reviews :)! XPsychoBabyDollX: Awwww thank you so much :D! Yeah it is weird as hell haha but I'm glad you're not lost. redsandman99: It gets creepier I promise o.O x-xZombie-Queen: Thank you! **

"I like do not even know what to say…" sitting on the gargoyles of an old church, Minx had her signature hood off and a hand clamped in her lengthy raven hair and looked up at Batman, whom she sort-of had her head rested against as he sat perched. They didn't even know where to start looking. The closest person to him was RIGHT there.

"Someone like him?" he was speaking to her in his Bruce voice and not the Batman growl because she openly despised it, "You think he's in ANY sort of trouble?"

"Yes,"

He grunted, and she whacked his armored arm before hugging it and snorting.

"You TRULY underestimate-"

"I HAVE to he's a god damn fucktard!"

He stared at her oddly for that and she scowled.

"I fucking hate him you do not want to know"

"I've heard in massive lengths…"

"Yeah well you will hear it again," folding her arms across her ample chest she huffed.

"You're bitter," reaching over he brushed her cheek with his gloved thumb, "Stop."

"Why are you so nice to me?" wrinkling her nose she looked his way, "I left you,"

"I love you…you'll come back," he knew she didn't like that response yet she held his hand for a moment, "You're not mad enough to want to be the way he is. You're too strong to conform,"

She motioned to the Glasgow smile and he waved it off.

"One call to Avella and it's fixed."

Letting her face fall, she snuggled under his arm and he willingly wrapped the arm around her since they were concealed by darkness.

"You truly have no solid direction or side to take in all this…"

"I will never know anything but the two of you and I will do nothing to stop it. It is not right, it is not fair, but I learned as a baby that life is not fair. You boys wanna play tug of war go ahead. You want me, come and find me. Nothing is stopping you but my Jack."

"Not anymore," they kissed.

…

Tired of shit just happening to them and being thrust into haunted wax houses Joker made a mental decision to do whatever it took to keep her outside and in the epicenter of the carnival. Rides rushed with no one on them, and those two same white-faced men played that same cello.

"You think they get tired?" Mindy frowned as she and Joker sat on a bench with her hand in his and her head on his upper arm.

"Of THAT?" pouting his lips he shook his head, "I don't know," for the first time in his life he allowed himself to slap his sides and shrug, "I don't know shit."

"I do not believe that," poking his nose and kissing his lips she shook her head, "You know EVERYTHING Jack-Jack, I love you."

"I don't know this…" swallowing hard he shook his head and was clearly trying very hard to admit, "I don't know what this is, where we are, what we're doing here,"

"Step right up and Break for Freedom! Break the targets, receive a doll!"

Mindy's attention snapped again to that familiar-looking guy Joker didn't trust. Her finger went up but he shook his head.

"Please, Kitten any dolly you want but THAT one,"

"Why NOT?" her foot stamped and her nose wrinkled, "I WANT it!"

"Because," shaking his head he ran a hand through his hair and tried to keep her in his lap on the bench, "I don't trust him, can you PLEASE just," licking his lips as the man continued beckoning towards them he shook his head, "accept my better judgment PLEASE I KNOW people. I KNOW THIS WORLD better than you EVER could begin to understand! You HAVE to listen to me!"

"But he says I can have the dolly if I win-" her lips pouted and she looked over to the doll when he shook his head and held her chin so they stared the other dead in the eye.

"He's LYING, Kitten-doll! TRUST ME! Because you're my WIFE trust me!"

"So what will he do instead?" her medium-toned eyebrows rose and she watched him growl and shake his head, muttering to himself before grabbing her hair and standing up towards another part of the park hopefully.

"Do you have the slightest idea…" sighing he stuck one hand in his pocket while the other wrapped around her shoulders as they headed in the opposite direction of the games, "what a guy like THAT could do to you?"

"But he would not," pouting her lips she hugged his waist, waiting for him to look her in the eye, "I have YOU."

"You're damn right," nodding once he licked his lips and kissed the top of her head, "and to think if you never left me we never would have wound up here in the first place,"

That made her spine stiffen uncomfortably and she scowled, "I never fucking left you. You THOUGHT I did and then ignored me for a year when in reality you were getting SICK and developing fucking schizophrenia taking my meds all day,"

"Oh and WHAT?" removing the arm from her waist he shoved her back, "YOU were a fucking angel?"

"I did NOTHING to you,"

"I BEGGED you not to leave for Cali-fucking-fornia! I fucking BEGGED for you to stay!"

"And what?" her hands went to her hips and she pushed him back equally as hard, "We would have DIED living the way we were! There was NO RENT coming from you-"

"Oh, I'M sorry!" his hands went up and he scowled, "I guess I should have stopped paying your god damn medical bills for every little fucking SHIT between your iron pills, insurance, antipsychotics, antidepressants, doctor fees-"

"Oh, now we're making laundry lists now I SEE HOW IT IS!"

"I have never been to a doctor ONCE in my entire god damn LIFE! That was all YOU, fucking CUNT!"

"YOU were the one-"

"If I skipped ANYTHING for ONE FUCKING SECOND you were throwing yourself out a god damn window!"

"Oh! Now we are back to the BLAMING now! I see"

"I KIND OF," cocking his head his teeth barred, "wanted to have that baby without-"

"If you fucking even THINK of blaming Carly on me when YOU WERE THE ONE RUNNING OFF WITH THAT FUCKING GANG TRYING TO ROB THINGS BUT PUSSIED OUT LAST SECOND I want a divorce and I want a divorce NOW!"

"You can't fucking divorce me," hissing he wanted to pinch her arm but it was too violent, "I'm already declared DEAD,"

"I went to L.A. to get my CAREER! And NOW look at my fucking bankbook! I sent you money and plane tickets EVERY DAY and you fucking ignored them all! You used the money I sent to go out and buy more of my PILLS instead of leaving that one-bedroom apartment to BE WITH ME!"

"I AM with you! Even as THIS," he motioned to his Joker persona and shook his head, "What more do you WANT from me?"

"I don't want ANYTHING from you I hate you!"

"Good," he nodded and pointed a finger her way, "because I can't fucking stand you either."

Getting a bit of a nostalgic, faraway glaze over her eyes she giggled and looked him in the eye, "Do you remember when we used to play the penis game in class?"

He laughed, ran a hand over his face, and tucked some of her lengthy raven hair behind her shoulder to kiss her on the lips.

"Christmas," he got her attention and pet her face once, "I used to wait by the door for Mommy to sneak you over because your fucking parents didn't want to bring your insane ass to your Greek relatives so they lied and said they had a sitter,"

Her eyebrows rose sarcastically, "Daddy LOVED that,"

"The ban only came after Mommy died and he realized I was old enough to fuck you,"

"Not like you listened anyway," her eyebrows rose pointedly and he smiled before kissing the side of her head, "We had sex all the time,"

"Hail Mary, full of grace…" he trailed off with widened dark eyes and she laughed loudly. A hand covered her mouth to the point that she coughed from laughing.

"We were," a finger wagged his way, "fuckin' lucky no one caught us having sex at school too,"

Thinking it over his eyes widened and he ran a hand through his rain-dampened hair, "We were REALLY horny teenagers, weren't we?"

"And now we are sick of each other,"

"I'm not," shrugging he wrapped an arm around her again, "I don't know about YOU."

"I love you, Jax," looking to kiss him now she stood on the tips of her toes, and he leaned down to lay one right back.

Laughing. Joker's mouth didn't even touch hers because the laughing pissed him off. Picking his head up he saw three clowns wearing long-nosed masquerade-like masks sitting on barrels of beer. One had a baby carriage and immediately Mindy hid behind Joker. Feigning a smile he gripped the fork in his pocket and headed on over in the light drizzle towards the clowns with thick lumberjack facial hair.

"I'm sorry…I didn't get the joke," he looked around and shrugged, "is there anything you fine gentlemen would like me to know?"

Insulted that he even came over, the clowns all whispered something to each other before nodding.

"Yeah…" one said, "get fuckin' lost."

He hated being spoken to that way, yet with an 'accepting' nod he pretended to head off with Mindy. Then it happened.

"Don't ya wanna say g'bye to your little Carly too?" another motioned to the baby carriage, and Mindy nearly died from sobbing. Joker didn't want to look but of course since it was probably something disgusting monkeyshines took over and he had to crane his neck.

In the baby carriage was a little stillborn infant wrapped up in blankets. THEIR infant. THEIR stillborn infant they had at nineteen years old. Joker nearly lost ten years of his life and Mindy was sobbing. The clowns laughed, and Joker did too. He laughed his ass off. He laughed his ass off to the point that he ripped the mask of one guy to jam it through the other's eye socket, ripped the lid off the barrel and drowned another head-first in the beer, and bashed the third's skull in with the lid of the barrel of the drowned man.

Mindy watched with glowing red eyes. A hawk-sized crow swept down from the sky and pecked his head hard once, creating a massive gash and he had to stop mutilating the bodies so Mindy's eyes neutralized and she babied him even though he didn't want it.

_I lust for after no disaster can touch, touch us anymore_


	8. Chapter 8: To Never Fall

**A/N: Thank you so much for your reviews :D! XPsychoBabyDollX: XD creepy I know...and yeah their relationship has always been that intense passionate love/hate. They know the other so well they pretty much act like an old married couple. redsandman99: Anything involving the word 'Carly' is never ever a good thing with those two...its a terrible story they hate thinking about and try not to remember it happened. mysovereignsoul: Nawww thank you! Yeah the closet skeletons of Joker are really not ones that are meant to be set loose. He keeps these thoughts and memories repressed and locked away for a reason. Everything he does roots back to his relationship with his Kitten; if anything its the most important facet of his life. He'll never really express it, but he would happily die for her.**

"What was he wearing?" Batman and Minx rode between buildings on the Batpod keeping an extra careful eye out and she raised a shapely eyebrow since the hood fell off her head again.

"You are asking me this NOW?"

"You never specified,"

"Oh Jesus, son of a Christ," shaking her head she groaned, "the fuckin' Joker suit; we are LUCKY he did not go out incog, you would never find him!"

"He seems like a hard person to miss…"

Her eyebrows rose and she wagged a dainty clawed finger his way, "You would THINK that…!"

_Wearing a tan windbreaker buttoned only once to the collar of his red and black flannel with plain jeans and blue sneakers of sorts Joker looked down at Mindy, who couldn't see his eyes behind the opaque sunglasses and greenish-yellow fuzzy beanie hat he wore over his long green-blonde hair. He actually washed his hair so it looked clean. He skipped shaving that morning so he had five o'clock shadow that was actually working for him quite well. Mindy also wore a flannel, but it was one of his; blue and black with purple Ugg slip-ons and he was seconds from giving her his jacket because she was freezing. He told her to put more clothes on before they left, but knowing her? Never. _

_In lieu of holding hands they had their signature two-finger hook and when they stopped at corners with the rest of the unsuspecting Gotham crowd he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. There were times when they were normal. They were people too. In fact, when not taking part of Joker shenanigans he spoke in his native thick husky Australian accent. _

_Today they were going to Starbucks to get giant hot drinks since it was a crisp April morning, but they were going to the park to just sit on a bench and talk while people-watching. Paparazzi had yet to recognize the tiny rockstar wearing oversized white-framed sunglasses especially because today she abandoned both makeup and hair-straightening. She didn't need it with him, he knew her since she was five there was nothing surprising to him. Her frizzy raven hair was in a loose, thick braid that trailed down to her hips. _

"_You and your stupid fuzzy hats," shaking her head as they made eye contact she poked her tongue between her teeth and played with the soft brim rested against his forehead._

"_I LIKE it," nodding curtly as they stopped at a busy corner he hugged her shoulders and rubbed her upper arm before kissing her temple, which was icy to the touch, "Kitten…" shaking his head knowingly he took his coat off and wrapped it around her shoulders; ensuring she stuck her arms through before buttoning it up for her. The little person for the walk signal came up._

"_Jax…"_

_He was too busy buttoning the jacket and they missed the light._

"_Jax, we missed it," she shook her head at him and chuckled lightly, "I coulda did it as we walked-"_

"_You can't do it right," much to her surprise he laced his fingers in hers and kissed the hand, five o'clock shadow making the signature Chelsea grin harder to see, "Whatever. It's better if we waited it out anyway,"_

_She laughed and wrinkled her nose at him, "Why?"_

"_Because…" he scowled, "too many guys checking you out at the last light,"_

"_Oh JESUS…" she knew they weren't, he was just paranoid. She didn't look pretty at all today, only to him. Eyeballing him she had to smile, "You look really cute," nodding she kissed his fingers and smirked, "Stupid hat and all…"_

_He smiled. When they wanted to be, twenty-seven years of being together made them beyond any boundary of normalcy. _

"_If you're THAT jealous you know I have one of these in every color…"_

"_OH yes…!" her eyes widened, "I know!" her nose wrinkled as they crossed the street with a group of civilians and walked at a slightly slower-than-normal pace since they were in no rush, "I just fucking hate those couples that always match,"_

_He snickered and wagged an index finger to agree when she spoke up right away._

"_You wanna watch White Chicks after we pick the babies up from school?"_

_His eyes widened and he nodded, "Strange choice, but whatever floats you,"_

"_I want a Venti Peppermint Mocha with extra whipped cream and candy cane drizzle," _

_Yes, he was paying. He always paid for dates despite her near-billions of dollars._

_They stood behind the counter not much later and before giving his order he turned and smirked at her._

"_Just because I know you hate it…" he ordered the exact same thing she did. He paid, they moved to the counter where the prepared drinks were placed, and as they just patiently stood waiting in the terribly crowded coffee shop he lifted her chin and they kissed. It was a long one too; long and backed up with several other smaller kisses. _

_All things considered he was the perfect husband when he wanted to be. In the past before he lost his mind he was a dream despite his shitty income working at the chemical plant, but nowadays he had a sense of maturity to him from their years screwing up that made it near-impossible to ever be left. _

_Their drinks were held in their outside hands and their fingers hooked together as they exited Starbucks practically invisible to everyone except for their light PDA which usually they veered away from. Sometimes the fact that they were thirty struck and they still wanted to enjoy their youth. The pair was strapped down with four kids all under the age of eight, but they started so painfully young. Even though Mindy had two kids with Bruce she wasn't sure if she and Joker were entirely done…certainly she wanted to retire her poor puny body from bearing so many children in so short a time frame, but again they were only thirty. Never say never. _

_On the park bench they sat, both her legs were crossed in a pretzel and her head rested against his side. His free arm draped around her shoulders and occasionally his lips would float to the side of her head. They made up backstories for random people who passed by them and she hand-fed him some whipped cream just so he could lick it off her finger. At one point she pulled his hat down over his sunglasses and kissed him slowly, laughing as his tongue darted out over her lips and he fixed the hat. This was love, and when the two of them were on their deathbed this was the side of him only she would ever know._

…

"OW!"

"STOP fucking squirming JESUS, son of a Christ!" Mindy snipped with barred teeth while applying the rain-moistened sleeve of Joker's jacket to the top of his head where the crow pecked him.

"Then stop fucking hurting me, you cunt!" scowling and grimacing from pain he looked up to see those same fucking bastards playing the cello in opposite directions. The same fucking cello and according to the sign they, 'will play for food.'

"I'm not fucking hurting you, ya son of a bitch! YOU had to go all Liam Neeson on them and skipped checking the fucking background!"

"Sorry," his nose wrinkled nastily, "All I heard was someone making you bawl your eyes out mocking what should have been our oldest CHILD," he moved a piece of bloodied hair back on his head, "N-B-D."

"I fuckin' hate you," shaking her head she checked the top of his head to see a bloodied gash she was working on cleaning.

His eyebrows rose and he nodded along, "The feeling is MORE than mutual, I can rest assure…"

"I ain't losin' sleep over it,"

"Good. Me neither."

"I wish I stood with Bruce,"

"Me too," no he didn't.

"At least he loved me,"

"At least he did what I couldn't and smacked you silly," his eyebrows rose which made more blood seep and he clicked his tongue. Mindy rolled her eyes before pushing him away and standing up, which triggered the instinctive move of his to follow her and trail with apologies. The typical old married couple syndrome. "Hey!" picking up pace he already was beside her and snagged her forearm, which she violently tried to rip away, "Kitten!"

"Go fuck yourself, Jack," she ripped her wrist back but he caught and bent it in such a way she yelped.

That made him stop, staring at her with wide eyes and partially pouted lips.

"I'm sorry!" his voice was shaky and cracked, he meant it. She didn't care.

"Go the fuck away from me," beginning to whimper now as they stood in front of the cello-playing pair with pasty white faces, Mindy pushed his towering frame back, "Go AWAY get AWAY from me NOW!" she sniffled.

"No," without shaking his head he licked his lips and tried to reach out for her.

"Jack I am not FUCKING kidding," shaking her head with a shrug and averting her eyes she shoved him back again, "Go AWAY get the FUCK away I do not fucking want you ever again go kill yourself!"

"No," shrugging now he shook his head and grabbed her shoulders, which made her start to scream.

"HELP! HELP! HE'S TRYING TO RAPE ME PLEASE! HEL-"

His hand was over her mouth and he ripped her so her back was against his chest, hugging her body with the opposite arm so she couldn't flail and cooed into her ear.

"Now you KNOW I've never came CLOSE to raping anything in my entire LIFE, Kitten-doll…" nodding and licking his lips he looked around before cooing once again, "Why would you SHOUT such a thing?"

Scowling she licked his hand until he removed it and craned her neck to look him in the eye, "Because I HATE you,"

"Oh yeah?" nodding with raised eyebrows he took a moment.

"Yeah!"

"Well that's too bad…" his practically-black eyes bore holes into her ice-blue, "I've always loved YOU."

"What?" a snort, "You gonna kill yourself now?"

"Take a nap," finally he tapped her ass and hugged her around the waist, "You're cranky."

"If you went away I would be much nicer to everyone,"

"I'm the only FRIEND you ever had!" he slapped his side and clamped a hand in his hair, "You think ANYONE other than ME—save our children, gives a good DAMN about you?"

"I don't fucking care, go away from me," fighting him again she stormed off thinking she was stamping alone, but he was following her of course. He always did. She made him sick to his stomach, but hell he loved the little bitch. If she weren't so vile he might not have been so hopelessly devoted.

A gust of flames blast not too far from them and Mindy screamed, not realizing how Joker had judged the flames from a distance in a split second and had hooked an arm around her hips. She was ripped back by him in time so she wasn't blown half to hell and her face buried in his chest.

"Jack-"

"Kitten…" gulping for a moment he kissed the side of her head before squinting and seeing a very long table right in front of them by the food tents, "that was not fucking there before."

A woman sat at one of the tables in a green bustier dress with shoulder-length straight brown hair, big brown eyes, beige skin, and looked to be in her late forties. Mindy's hand covered her mouth and Joker froze DEAD. She was pretty, not pretty in the Hollywood-glamorized Mindy sense, but pretty enough to spawn someone like Joker. She was thin and swallowing fire, seated at the end of the table nearer to them which nearly killed Mindy.

"Mommy?" he had to gasp it. Mindy rightfully released his hand and stood there meekly, scoffing the ground with her foot trying to look happy for him as he rushed over to the seated woman and knew right away it was Sally Napier. She died when Joker was eleven because her husband killed her in a drunken rage…speaking of...

"G'day, doll-face!" Kim Napier. From the opposite end of the long table talking to his daughter-in-law whom he had known her entire life. He was long and lean, just like Joker but with piercing light eyes and shorter blonde hair. He seemed to be swallowing knives with a big bottle of gin right in front of him. Joker never hated anyone in his life the way he loathed his father. The phrase, 'daddy issues' had been taken to an extreme level. In fact, Joker killed his own father when he was seventeen so the money from the small house went to his and Mindy's first apartment in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Both Kim and Sally had thick Australian accents, just like Joker when he wanted.

"Daddy?" like any good typical daughter-in-law, the in-laws were 'Mommy' and 'Daddy' to her, "Wh-what are you-"

"Ma…" shaking his head and looking her over Joker tried to pull the chair Sally was seated in back so she could stand but instead she shut him out with a nasty glare. A glare she never had given him in the past.

"I'm staying right 'ere with your father, you understand?" opening her mouth she ate a stick that had flames on it and Mindy grasped her throat, feeling horribly sorry at the look on Joker's face. She knew how he felt about his mother. She loved his mother too very deeply, but it wasn't her place to speak. Instead she would keep Kim's attention on her before Joker killed him.

"No, Ma…" slightly trembling and shaking his head he looked up to see the devil himself at the far end of the table swallowing knives. He did look a lot like Joker, they shared many features including eyes, smile, nose, hair, and height…but their personalities were night and day. Sometimes when Mindy got REALLY mad she would tell him he was acting just like his father. She knew him well enough to have say in the matter there. Kim loathed her for his son, thought he was throwing his entire life away.

"I see ya still married to the whore," Kim nodded at Joker smugly and clearly his son didn't like that comment, "Haven't lost that ugly mug either, my boy, good job."

Actually frightened, Joker took Mindy's hand and barred his teeth at his father, "You're dead."

"Not in your mind…" smiling in a way which was unsettling Kim got ready to swallow another knife and Joker was baffled by that comment, "I live through YOU, my boy."

"Do not listen to him," shaking her head since she could see Joker was cracking Mindy hugged his waist and shook her head, "Please…it is a trap, Jack it is,"

"For WHAT?" hissing he lunged his father's way and nearly broke her ankle pushing her aside to get to him, "HUH? WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME NOW? WHAT THE HELL DID I EVER DO TO YOU? YOU STAY AWAY FROM MY WIFE AND MOTHER, YOU UNDERSTAND?"

"Or WHAT?" getting ready to swallow another knife Kim teased, "What are you going to do, boy?"

With wide eyes he snatched the knife from his father's hand and slit his throat. Mindy screamed and out of anger, Sally spit a gust of fire out which made Mindy scream and tackle Joker to the ground. Panting as he violently fought to get to his mother they both watched her burst into flames laughing at him and burn away.

_And more than ever, I hope to never fall, where enough is not the same it was before_


	9. Chapter 9: Thirsty for Your Love

**A/N: Thank you so much for your reviews :))! XPsychoBabyDollX: I love them too ;) haha. It's just one big ball of holy crap. redsandman99: This might as well have been called 'bully the dead clown.' x-xZombie-Queen: :( Mommy and Daddy is always a bad one with him. Its beyond low blow.**

That had done it. Joker's hands rattled as he sat on the ground near the vacant table and Mindy had been right there. Plopped practically in his lap his fingers were being kissed despite the rain and softly she began cooing.

"Jack…"

He was unresponsive, rattling and breathing in short gasps and frantically shaking his head. His mouth hung open occasionally to try and form words but no sound other than the choking.

"Jack…" sniffling and reaching with a free hand she stroked his cheek, "Jax-baby…"

He shuddered, staring at that table to the point that she turned his chin to her and held it despite his efforts.

"HEY!" she didn't mean to shout but he nodded at her with a whimper…a whimper? THAT was a sound she hadn't heard from him in years. "Babe…"

He shook his head and his lips made a thin line.

"Babe!" with chattering teeth she held his chin so it was away from the table and his arms hooked right around her small body, holding her tight against him with no further comment. Shocked at first she absorbed the shock of his wet body hugging hers and returned it, increasing the drizzle to a light rain before kissing behind his ear. "Sssssshh…"

His whimper got louder every second he held her.

"Ssssshhh," she kissed his hair, "darling…" a hard swallow, "y-you know Mommy loved you…" he needed to hear this she knew he was batshit crazy about his mother, "you were her heart,"

Exhaling loudly he was seemingly sniffling and nuzzling her neck as they sat together, "She didn't want me-"

"Yes she did," it was a lie, "She wanted you there, Jack it was ME that-"

"No," shaking his head he pouted his lips and snuggled her breastplate, "she always loved YOU…YOU were the little girl she never had,"

"JACK you were her BOY. Her ONLY baby was YOU,"

"And she let my fucking father kill her, Kitten," nodding he tried to rip away to look her in the eye but she kissed his forehead. One look from her and he was sated.

"I do not blame her…" running a hand through her hair she shrugged, keeping her eyes down, "If I were to die tomorrow I would only want it to be by your hand…" gazing at the bewildered look he gave her she shrugged, "I love you, Jax. We made the pact when we were twelve anyway so if I die you are coming with me and vice versa."

"Awww Kitten…" smiling fondly and making a puppy face he reached up to pinch her cheek and speak to her as if she were one of their young daughters, "What a sweet thing to say…" his eyes dropped and he licked his lips before cringing, "if it weren't so completely fucked up, that is."

She gave him a strange look.

"You shouldn't want me to kill you…" petting her cheek he shook his head, "I can't even PRETEND I want to smack you never mind KILL you,"

"But I love you…"

"I couldn't kill you, no," shaking his head he licked his lips quick and wrapped her closer to his body, "even if I wanted to…"

"You're so special…" nodding with a sniffle she leaned in and they kissed, increasing rain pressure as it deepened, "Daddy was not deserving of life and Mommy loved you so much," smiling sweetly she began petting his face, "I sure always loved you…more than anybody ever loved anyone."

Purring he reached up and pet her face, "You have a funny way of not showing it,"

They kissed. He tried to stand up but she pinned him down on his back. The rain became a downpour as her tongue slid into his mouth and her hands gripped his hair. One leg lifted as a way to say it was around his waist and they kissed hard. They were either loving each other or killing each other depending on their mood, but at the end of the day they were solid. Truly solid. No one could break them apart. Out of respect for him because he hated sex she didn't try it, but the making out he did particularly enjoy greatly.

Thunder and lightning came along with heavy winds, and pouting his lips as they kissed he looked up at the sky to catch it. He didn't particularly care he could do this all night no problem especially considering what she meant to him. Her body shivered though. The harder they kissed the heavier the winds and her little body was shaking like a leaf. Reluctantly he pulled away and just gazed at her, softer than usual and letting his lips curl into a thin smile. She didn't understand why he stopped.

His jaw dropped to tell her he loved her but no sound came out. He could see how patiently she was waiting for it as the rain died down and he wanted to say it. He wanted to say it more than anything in the world. His mouth just wouldn't form the words because he MEANT it…and he meant nothing he said. If he said the words he would ruin everything.

"I don't know what I'd do without you, kid," smirking he pinched her cheek and they kissed, "The only person to get me on my back long enough to remember it,"

Chuckling lowly she pulled down his lower lip with her thumb and licked the small scar on it, "Get you on your back anytime I want,"

He practically forgot the entire confrontation with his parents, being attacked left and right…he was poisoned with her. He always was.

_Come feed the rain...__  
><em>_'cause I'm thirsty for your love dancing underneath the skies of lust_


	10. Chapter 10: Life

**A/N: Thank you for your wonderful reviews! XPsychoBabyDollX: :3 yeah they're sweetie pies. He doesn't realize JUST how out of character he's being. redsandman99: It's all a calm before the storm, but they're too sweet when they want to be. x-xZombie-Queen: I love their sweet moments because they're so few and far between normally, this whole la-la land allows it to be possible and he's such a puppy when he wants to be. **

Moving through the carnival trying to find a gate on the opposite side for maybe a way out Joker carefully led Mindy past the familiar man controlling the game that promised the dolly.

"Break for Freedom! Step right up and break to be set free!"

"No," Joker shook his head at Mindy and squeezed her hand in his; not even allowing the question to be asked, "I'll get you the prettiest dolly you've ever seen if you just listen to me,"

She did. She loved him, she trusted him, and she damn well listened to him. Thus far all his moves were pretty right, though that was no surprise. He had a sixth sense of being able to judge people and situations before they even happened. The level of his intellect was disgustingly high, and intellectually (though she never showed it) her IQ was nearly as high as his. Hers was applied in the musical and linguistic sense; she spoke about four languages fluently and was beyond any definition of a musical prodigy. The one thing he had over her was his sanity even though most thought he was batshit insane, he actually had a severe case of super-sanity. Schizophrenia hindered him, yes, but his intelligence often cancelled it out.

In a way he liked being trapped in here with her. There was no Bat-breath, no kids, no nothing. It was just the two of them trapped in a giant puzzle and he was able to get them out of any situation thus far. No one could take her away, he liked it. Not even his bastard father could take her away. The fact that this place was composed of his past he didn't like, and was trying in vain to figure out why. Why HIM? HOW did this place know everything about him? Between his parents, Shelby, Carly, the murders…it was all too personal and he knew Kitten never told anyone their life story. The one thing he had to credit her for was being their lighthouse keeper. Their story belonged to them and them alone, and for that he greatly respected her. Not even her hubby BatWayne knew their life story in full.

Those two men with white pasty faces were still playing for food, and frowning Mindy finally tugged on Joker's forearm since the sleeves to his button-down were rolled up, and pointed ahead of them towards a cotton candy stand. Wrinkling his nose Joker shook his head.

"Oh come on, Kitten I HATE that shit," licking his lips he rubbed his bare fingers together and grimaced, "It's all sticky, and crunchy, and tasteless-"

"It is COTTON CANDY," rolling her eyes Mindy frowned and shook her head, "You do not like ANYTHING but they have been playing all night and-"

"If YOU want to give them something," he poked her chest, "go ahead and be my guest."

"Fine," she shrugged, "I will."

The rain lightened intensely and he frowned.

"Kitten!" immediately he was on her heels as she stood in front of the cotton candy stand and gave them a dollar for a big blue wand of it. He shook his head, "I can't believe you're giving them that,"

"It is what separates me from you,"

Yes it was. Her benevolence and innocence countered his malice and experience. She was a genuinely good person at heart; she just did what she did to be with him. Love was what made her cross over for him, and at her worst she could be just as evil possibly more violent. The contrast between their personalities made it work though, her light overcame his darkness and, more than he liked to admit, Joker caved to her. She controlled him. The Joker came undone for a woman. At the end of the day he used her to recharge like a battery. She fed him, sheltered him, bathed him, took care of him…he wouldn't do any of the above without her in fact, he couldn't live without her. His life would just become this continuous replay of shit.

When he terrorized Gotham for the first time Chelsea was just born. His baby. She was born on Valentine's Day no less; and though he didn't even know any of his children's names at the time because he wanted nothing to do with them, Chelsea Ray had become his heart. That chubby little bitch reminded him so much of her mother even with the Autism that it drove him wild. No father could be more in love with their child than he was with Chelsea. The three older ones he cared for too, no doubt, but Chelsea was just it for him. The way he saw it he lived through his kids, all four of them. The Joker legacy would live through the four of them and he knew they would take up his mantle. Maybe not Chelsea because she was Autistic, but the older three no doubt. Amber inherited his mind, that kid was pure genius. The twins were just kooky; prissy little things, but absolutely insane between Thorn's thirty-five pound Serval that she dragged everywhere and Scarlett's extreme vanity. They were all beautiful, they all looked like him. Long blonde hair, blue eyes, beige skin, lanky, button noses…he missed them terribly. Being a Dad had become his second favorite job. According to Mindy though, they had no children…that he didn't understand still. They were supposed to have six overall, but two died.

The swing ride went on behind the players, and the moment they turned around the Break for Freedom man called out to them once more.

"Step right up! Break for Freedom, get the dolly! Break for Freedom step RIGHT up!"

Something about that British mother fucker was wrong. Very wrong. Mindy frowned at the stand; he knew she wanted the dolly.

"Once we get out I'll steal you a beautiful dolly, Kitten," nodding he kissed the side of her head and dragged her away from the stand, "You can pick whatever you want once we get out, the world is yours."

A carousel with light-up horses caught their attention next, and squeezing his hand tighter in hers Mindy kissed it and the rain came down just a tad harder. He didn't mind. He kissed her back, only it was on the tip of her pointed nose.

"Pretty girl…" smiling he grabbed her chin and kissed her harder. What he was saying no longer registered through his head. He was completely out-of-character, yet he didn't know it. His subconscious never allowed any hint of this side of him to shine through, yet here it was.

"Handsome," giggling she kissed him hard on the mouth and the rain poured harder.

As they reached the fence surrounding the moving carousel Mindy rested her elbows on the fence, not catching how he buried his face in the crook of her neck and wrapped both sopping wet arms around her little body. Softly he kissed the flesh and her neck craned back so the tips of their noses touched. He said nothing uncharacteristically, and her tongue poked between her teeth at him. It was too cute he had to kiss her, his A.D.D. being captivated by the carousel so he had to look up at it.

"The Catcher in the Rye has a serious scene involving one of those…" he whispered in her ear in reference to the carousel, "I know it's a serial killer handbook and whatever, but the concept and idea behind it really sticks."

She feigned interest speaking against his scarred mouth, "What is it?"

"Well…" shifting his weight around he licked his lips, "the basis of the novel is a whiny little brat complaining, but he never wants to grow up and face reality. He wants everything to kind of stay the same the way he is now,"

"Oh, like a Peter Pan complex-shit,"

"That's exactly what they call it," smiling he swept a finger down the bridge of her nose, "and he just gets so into this idea of never having to move forward yet never moving back so there'd never be a past or future that it governs his entire life. He would take the daily monotony over experiencing a challenge of a new day."

"Why?"

His eyebrows rose and he snorted, "He's fuckin' crazy, that's why."

She laughed loudly, covering a hand over her mouth that he folded in his and kissed, "Oh REALLY? Is THAT why?"

"Yeah…" he grinned boyishly, "certain people are just lunatics and there's no other way to describe them,"

She smirked, "You hintin' at something, Mister?"

"What?" chuckling he shrugged and motioned towards her, "YOU? I've met people who make YOU look sane," his nose wrinkled, "and besides…my summary of you is much longer than 'lunatic'," he snickered, "that's the opener."

"Are you happy?" vague question, but her lips pouted and as they nuzzled the other she patiently awaited an answer.

Licking his lips he pouted them before answering, "I am…" his eyebrows rose, "NOW,"

"If you died tomorrow would you be happy with what you did with your life?"

"Yeah…" nodding along he slid his tongue along his lips before dropping his head back into her neck and nestling for comfort, "yeah I would be."

"Would you do anything different?"

"Yeah," nodding he looked at the carousel and lost himself in a trance, "I would have kicked sand in your face instead of asking to share your coloring book when we were five so I wouldn't have sucked you and the kids into this pocket of hell,"

"Without me in your life there would be no babies…"

"Good," nodding once he pet her hair and shook his head coldly, "and you all get spared,"

"I woulda hung myself if I never met you…" her eyes narrowed, "or Mommy and Daddy would have killed me for real. Your fucking life is why I am still alive,"

"Likewise…" he looked her in the eye and fidgeted before swallowing hard, trying to get the subject changed any way he could and upon smiling thinly he did. Like a teenage boy he started giggling and shifting his weight around until she looked at him fondly, the rain coming down slightly harder, "Did I tell you about Chels the other day?"

"No…" pouting her lips and smiling weakly she shook her head, "What happened to Chels?"

"I uh…" he was ruining the story by laughing and bouncing in place, but clearly whatever it was it excited him, "took Natasha," Natasha was Mindy's name for her white Porsche Carerra GT, "to the station since the tank was on E and you can't pump gas to save your god damn life, I know you…"

Her tongue was poking between her teeth.

"And I brought the baby…" Chelsea was four, yet to him was still the 'baby.' She would always be his baby. "You know the sand niggers work those stations around here…"

Mindy nodded and smiled weakly.

"Yeah…well as I open the door to grab your credit card to get your pin in right, Chels turns and looks at the guy before shouting 'GENIE!' and trying to rip the god damn turban off his head,"

Her lips pouted in confusion as she laughed, "She is so SMALL, how could she-"

"I had her in my free arm," licking his lips he nodded and cringed, "I didn't want to SAY anything to you after it happened but it was pretty damn funny,"

"Oh I bet," she snickered, "YOU of all people would raise racist children,"

"Coming from the most liberal person I know…" that statement was meant to ooze sarcasm.

"Do you believe in global warming?"

"I believe in global BULLSHIT," his tongue clicked and he grimaced, though she laughed loudly and kissed him, "Best 'get rich quick' scheme I've ever seen,"

"I dunno…" she cringed, "Harold Camping did pretty good,"

"October twenty-first..." he cracked his neck, "can't wait."

"Who was the best world leader of all time?"

"Hitler…" looking her in the eye he knew that she knew he didn't mean that because he was anti-Semitic, "Stalin was more sick in the head he had over twice Hitler's death count all his own _people_…" his eyebrows rose, "YOUR people actually,"

Mindy was half-Polish on her mother's side and highly cultural.

"In 1940 they took anyone in Poland with above a third-grade education into the Katyn forest in Russia…twenty-two thousand people…shooting started in the morning. The killings were methodical. After the personal information of the condemned was checked, he was handcuffed and led to a cell insulated with stacks of sandbags along the walls and a felt-lined, heavy door. The victim was told to kneel in the middle of the cell, was then approached from behind by the executioner and immediately shot in the back of the head. The body was carried out through the opposite door and laid in one of the five or six waiting trucks, whereupon the next condemned was taken inside. In addition to muffling by the rough insulation in the execution cell, the pistol gunshots were also masked by the operation of loud machines (perhaps fans) throughout the night."

"Weirdo…" smirking she made him smile and nudged him, "How the hell do you know these things?"

"I know more than you think."

"What school of thought are you?" for Anarchism.

"I'm not gonna vote in an Anarchist election, Kitten,"

"Why would no government people elect a leader?"

"Juxtaposition of human society, sweetheart," smiling thinly he kissed her temple, "I know you're a Republican."

"I mean…" shrugging she hugged his waist and frowned, keeping her eyes on the horses, "The only two parties that MATTER are Repubs and Demos, if you are not either than you are fucking wasting your god damn vote."

"I don't vote, Kitten, I'm declared dead in Canada. I was never a citizen of the United States."

"You do not care who is president…"

"No I don't. I'm not being taxed for ANYTHING, I don't exist,"

"I dunno…" sniggering she tapped his arm, "with O-dog's policy he may start taxing your criminal work,"

"Watch me blow up the White House,"

She laughed loudly, but he gave her a stern look.

"I'm not joking."

_Yeah, feed the rain__  
><em>_'cause without your love my life ain't nothing but this carnival of rust_


	11. Chapter 11: Feed the Rain

**A/N: Thank you for your reviews :))))! redsandman99: XD it's safe to say Joker isn't a Democrat. XPsychoBabyDollX: Its uber creeptastic I know and awwwwwww thank you sooo much xoxo :). I totally love the song too its amazing. x-xZombie-Queen: XD They do make awesome nicknames, don't they? Joker has about 40 names for Bats and Mindy covers the rest. Their conversations... *shakes head* only the most absolutely insane could carry the types of conversations they do. When they're not fighting they're quite interesting.**

More frantic than ever Minx actually sprinted through any random alley she could find slapping her clawed hands to the brick walls and sobbing as she went. The normal high-pitched Minx squeak was gone from fear and she was just crying now; only one person on her mind and it was horrifying her.

"MIRANDA!" Batman wrenched her wrist around and slammed her back to the brick wall; pointing her way sternly and shaking his head, "Don't you EVER run off like that,"

She began hyperventilating, "He-he-he-he-"

"You can detect heart rates, can't you?" he had been half-assing this entire search because personally he could give a good damn about the Joker's whereabouts. His estranged wife had come back. Why would he want the clown around her again?

Her eyes got big. Yes…yes she could. She discovered she could do that when Bruce took her to Nepal for two years to train…she knew how to track down heart rates. She memorized Joker's it was one-of if not THE most familiar heart rate to her.

Curling her plumped lips Minx flipped her hood off and sniffed the air like a cat taking slow graceful steps forwards with her short legs; and finally bouncing off the ground like a rocket.

"You picked it up?" Batman was already getting on the Batpod and from about nine feet in the air Minx nodded, meowing like a cat and racing off in the direction Batman was to follow.

"He's unconscious, COME ON!"

"Is he alone?" Batman shouted up and Minx craned her neck to give him a look.

"I am not psychic, you PUTZ I can only track the rates I have heard before!"

"Where is he?"

"GOOD FUCKING QUESTION!" narrowing her eyes and trying to yell over the roar of the Batpod she sped ahead.

…

Staring at those two same cello players slowly playing the same instrument, Joker swallowed hard and adjusted Mindy's head in his lap so her face was looking up at him. She had passed out on a bench and he just sat like a good husband. His fingers stroked her hair, gently running through and smiling weakly. She never was a peaceful sleeper she suffered from all kinds of night terrors, but right at the moment she was sedated. He sedated her.

Light drizzle still fell from the sky and with a wrinkled nose he was just biding his time; glancing around for either a threat or a way out. Thus far it was nothing. Then the hand curled over his shoulder.

"How ya hangin' in there, Puddin'?"

No fucking way. Craning his neck he saw none other than Harley Quinn in a short red dress, rain-dampened long blonde hair, and her throat slashed open at his courtesy. Mindy, her former best friend, was asleep curled like a kitten in Joker's lap which clearly wasn't something Harley liked seeing. Harley was never his anything though, she never caught onto that. He never touched her aside from killing her.

"You're dead," he said matter-of-factly, "Everyone I've seen here is dead."

"Don't you like it here with us?" her lips pouted and he grimaced shaking his head quick, and licking his lips.

"No. I nearly got killed three times, maybe more," he shrugged, flipping his eyes to the cloudy sky before shaking his head, "Where are we?"

"Carnival," she shrugged, "YOU should know."

Nodding along apathetically he stared straight ahead since he knew he had her attention, "Why are you here?"

"Because I love you…" now her eyes dropped to Mindy and he slightly twitched at that.

"So much that you killed my only son…" nodding along he lifted his eyes, "he was six, you know."

"I…" her face fell because she knew it was so wrong, "I couldn't deal with her and…"

Nodding along he swallowed quick and looked her in the eye, "I TOLD you I was married during our sessions in Arkham…you just never chose to listen," he clicked his tongue and grimaced, "when you and another individual have a disagreement it's implied you stay away from children."

Immediately her head shook apologetically, "I-I didn't…"

"She VISITED…me…" his eyes narrowed, "You were the one who authorized Kitten's visits. I had to tell you we were married or Jeremiah wouldn't have let her in."

"I-I liked Tryggy, I did,"

"Enough to push him off a balcony because you realized I was still married even THOUGH it was no secret. I TOLD YOU," he rolled his eyes and scowled, "I was married. YOU, who 'loves' me so much…didn't choose to LISTEN."

"You set me up," her voice shuddered, "You set me up, you knew I would do it you knew you were gonna kill me for it,"

"May-be…" his voice trailed off with raised eyebrows, yes he meant it. He planned it to happen.

"You're really sick, you know that?" her tone wavered and she got doe-eyed, "Killing your own son just for the sake of winning back a chick who didn't even LIKE you,"

"Clearly…" he motioned to Mindy in his lap, "she liked me just a little."

"And I LOVED you!" her foot stamped and she whimpered, hugging herself, "I LOVED you, Puddin'!"

He shrugged indifferently. She cried into her hand that made him grip the fork in his pocket and get ready to use it.

"She POISONED you!"

Shaking his head with pouted lips he narrowed his eyes in befuddlement, "You've never known me without her…not even I have known me without her…what are you even TALKING about? We were FIVE YEARS OLD not even my own MOTHER-"

Shaking her head with a tear-stained face she rattled, "You're gonna die tonight. She doesn't love you…not like I do, Puddin',"

"Okay," waving her off he clearly wasn't taking it seriously.

"You're gonna die."

When he turned around to shoo her away she was gone.

Opening her eyes Mindy sat up and rested her head in his collarbone, trying to peer at the man holding the little doll when a Funhouse caught his eye and to keep her away from Break for Freedom, he kissed the side of her head and smiled weakly.

"Kitten-doll…" he pointed to the funhouse and nodded, "Come on, we can push each other into shit,"

She kissed him. The rain poured harder.

_Yeah, feed the rain__  
><em>_'cause I'm thirsty for your love dancing underneath the skies of lust_


	12. Chapter 12: Nothing

**A/N: Thank you for your wonderful reviews :)))! XPsychoBabyDollX: Naww thank you! I don't know why people don't review things. If I read something whether I like it or not I review it because its common courtesy. For fun I always keep my stats up and lemme tell ya lmao the reader to review ratio is verrrrrrry different :P. A lot of the crappier stories get a ton of reviews and I'm not sure why, I think when a real-life published writer actually puts something up people don't know what to do with it. **

'Lost City' stood in large block letters above the funhouse that was mainly composed of reds and yellows for a nineteenth century appearance.

"I am scared," Mindy hugged his arm and buried her face in it, though he actually went as far as to button his jacket on her before kissing the side of her head and shrugging.

"You shouldn't be…" he smirked wryly, "I'm a CLOWN,"

She smiled thinly. Holding hands they walked together up towards the entrance and, since they were the only people in the entire place, walked right in.

WHOOSH!

An air jet shot up from the floor and Mindy SCREAMED. Joker actually got a laugh out of that as she literally spread her legs like a giraffe trying to drink from a stream to avoid anymore jets. It was dark inside, far too dark to see a thing.

"Sssshh…" he was trying so hard not to laugh he was horrible at comforting her, "Kitten…"

Whimpering she buried her face in his arm and cried.

"Sssshh Kitten sh sh sh come on, it's only a funhouse I'm RIGHT here, okay?" smiling though she couldn't see he rested his chin atop her head and leaned back against one of the walls, "I'm RIGHT HERE, Kitten…holding your hand…" licking his lips he squeezed her hand and let her snuggle his arm tight.

"Don't you leave me…" biting down on the sleeve of his button-down shirt she let him lead through the dark corridor.

WHACK!

The dimensions of the hallway were irregular, yet Mindy screamed anyway.

"Ow!" yelping Joker rubbed the bridge of his nose before laughing loudly and holding his free arm out in front to successfully continue navigating, "It was nothing, Kitten. It's just a hallway; they make it all crooked to make you sick,"

"I am sick,"

Smiling softly he shook his head and kept going, smacking into another wall and she giggled. Now it was starting to become fun. When she saw a wall caved in she pushed him into it and he didn't hesitate to push her right back. The narrow corridor made it difficult, but once they started shoving each other and making a grand old time of it he pinned her to a wall and stroked her lightly scarred cheek.

With large eyes she gazed up at him in a lovestruck trance and he caved so quickly he was petting both of her cheeks starting from the corners of her mouth, slowly drawing the long fingers up her Chelsea grin before kissing her. It was smooth and long followed by a deepening one that caused her head to just loll back against the wall while he stroked the hollow of her throat.

"Pretty girl," he pinched her cheek quick and gave her plumped lower lip a nip before pulling her against his side.

Next were the mirror hallways.

"Oh I always hated this…" frowning Mindy shook her head as they passed mirrors that made them all sorts of contorted shapes and they had to walk through it like a predetermined maze.

"Why?" shrugging he stopped at a particular mirror that made them look like pinheads and dropped his head to the crook of her neck, "I think we look good."

"You are also highly good-looking…"

"Well uh," he grimaced and rubbed the back of his neck, "I've got news for ya, sweetheart. If you were a hag I wouldn't have liked ya in the first place anyway,"

She gave him a look, "We were FIVE,"

"So?" wrinkling his nose he shrugged, "Playground politics factored in there too,"

"You were the new kid from Kangaroo Land…Mrs. Mahoney happened to place you next to me."

"I kissed the ground she walked on for it," flashing his most charming grin he led her away from the mirror hallway towards a particular attraction that made them both feel dizzy just looking at it.

A thin little metal bridge went through a revolving cylinder or 'barrel.' The cylinder spun unusually quickly and it was decked with purple sparkles. Exchanging glances Mindy allowed Joker to step first and lead them through the tunnel; they had to stop twice because Mindy's stomach refused to let her step forwards.

"See?" shrugging he didn't even notice his own high voice deepening and developing his thick Australian accent once more, "You get all freaked out over nothing, I'm RIGHT here beside you,"

As they exited the cylinder Joker ran a hand through his hair to realize it was clean and dry.

"What was that?"craning his neck and wrinkling his nose he didn't even realize how unbelievably baritone his voice had gotten along with the husky rasp his regional accent carried, "A blow-dryer?"

He didn't notice the way Mindy was staring at him. Moments later though, once he wrinkled his nose confusedly, he did.

"Kitten?"

Shaking like a leaf her jaw dropped practically to the floor, "No fucking way…"

"No fucking what?" shrugging he frowned and shook his head, "No fucking what, Kitten sweetheart what's the matter?"

"JACK?" actually a little frightened out of her mind Mindy backed a step, shaking her head in denial and clearly trying not to cry.

"Kitten, what-"

A mirror caught his eye, and upon turning to face it he just stopped breathing. The oily green hair was its natural Swede-blonde and clean, makeup was nowhere in sight on his face…and neither were his scars. Though he still donned the Joker outfit his face was completely clean, brown eyes softer than the fabric of his vest. Panicking he shook his head and placed his hands to his cheeks, now feeling something completely dead and buried to him. He felt…human…he felt ALIVE.

"Kitten," shivering now with quivering lips he turned and started rattling he was trying so hard to keep the tears from streaming down his face. He never cried; that was always Kitten's biggest critique about him. His entire life she had only seen him cry once or twice. He was whimpering…this wasn't Joker anymore. There was no way this was Joker, it was him. Twelve years dormant this was her Jack. He had come back from the dead after all. "Kitten it's-it's ME! It's ME Kitten," letting his jaw drop for a second his face contorted into the most beautiful dimpled smile and he laughed loudly.

Sweeping her off her feet he gave her a Gone with the Wind-quality kiss and swung her little body in a romantic carry.

"Kitten!" laughing still he kissed her deeper and pet her face with a manic laugh, "It's ME, darling baby sweetheart it's ME! I don't know HOW I don't know WHY, it's ME! I'm not sick!" he was laughing so hard he was crying, "I'm not sick anymore, sweetheart it's ME!"

Refusing to let her feet touch the ground he got her legs around his waist and just sat on the floor with her straddled over his lap, refusing to move and burying his face in her neck. He kissed the flesh so hard it turned into sucking followed by love bites. His teeth were actually sinking into her skin to hold on and he whimpered once more, shaking his head in denial and petting her face. She was still in utter disbelief.

"Kitten!" grinning from ear to ear he kissed her throat and shook his head, "It's ME…!"

Sniffling she nodded and pet his cheeks, running her fingers up the smooth corners of his mouth and kissed him hard, "This isn't possible…"

"I don't know HOW, I don't know WHY Kitten-darling but it IS! I'm here we're TOGETHER Kitten I know we are! I don't," his mouth brushed against hers with every word, "I don't know how long I have, but," his teeth were white again and he kissed her for a long few seconds, "Kitten please just LISTEN to me before I turn back into HIM,"

"You do not have MPD…"

"I don't," he admitted before kissing her smoothly and resting their foreheads, "but you and I both know damn well what's going to happen to me,"

"How?" shaking her head she shrugged, "This…this is ABSURD, this is…"

"I…" he swallowed and coughed, "LOVE YOU…Kitten…I fucking love you I've loved you since I was a child!"

"WHY are you saying this NOW? HUH?" shaking her head Mindy barred her teeth, trying to argue but shaking his head violently he cut her off with a hard kiss on the mouth.

Eagerly she returned it, practically biting his lips they kissed with such ferocity and their tongues met, Jack emitting a gasp for air that clearly told her this was the first time he felt this in ages.

From there he stripped and made love to her right there on the floor. At first she sat in his lap, but as the feeling grew he laid her on the floor followed by lying on his back to soothe hers. It was slow, slightly rough at points, and sealed with deep passionate kisses. The mark he left under her skin he never wanted to let fade. He truly loved the shit out of her. As he released he didn't even care if she took her pill that morning or not in fact, he WANTED her to become pregnant. They could start all over, just like this. Maybe things would be different for them now; maybe she would leave BatWayne for him because she remembered what he used to be before sickness ruined his life. Suddenly whimpering loudly he ran a thumb down her cheek and kissed her deeply.

"I love you,"

She gave him a nod and tried to kiss him again.

"Kitten, I'm fucking serious I would fucking DIE for you, alright?" holding her chin now so she looked him in the eye he started to sob, "I-I…I don't k-know h-ho-how much t-time I h—have left but PLEASE listen to me when I'm talking! I LOVE YOU, Miranda Marie all my LIFE I love you! I wake up; I go to sleep for you I LIVE for you I would DIE for you! I can't fucking stress it enough!" beet red his eyes were visibly watering now, "PLEASE darling, listen to me please please please I fucking love you!"

She just looked him in the eye blankly.

"Miranda-darling you're so beautiful…" nodding frantically he pet her face as hard as he could, "I only have eyes for you I only ever had eyes for you! Always remember that…!" sniffling and turning to cough he looked her in the eye before shouting, "ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT!"

She nodded meekly.

"Don't you forget!" he was in her face and kissing her as hard as he could while he did so, "Don't you FUCKING forget, Kitten-doll don't you forget! You promise me you'll never forget this, PROMISE ME!"

She didn't respond quickly enough.

"All those things I ever did…" shaking his head he frantically ran a hand through his hair, "becoming what I have…ignoring the kids, being cruel to you I would NEVER have done in my right mind, Miranda all I EVER wanted was a family for us!"

"And you fucked it up just FINE even when you DID have your mind!" standing on her own two feet finally Mindy scowled and made him have a look of complete horror across his beautiful face, "Between gangs and deals and Carly and-"

"I LOVED CARLY!" stamping his foot now he rubbed his eyes with his wrist furiously and shook his head, "SHE WAS MINE TOO! I WANTED HER MORE THAN ANYTHING SHE HAUNTS ME! SHE HAUNTS ME AND OUR SON HAUNTS ME! I FAILED YOU ALL I KNOW BUT I LOVE YOU!"

She barred her teeth, "And you tell me this NOW? NOW at the hour of our god damn DEATH you decide to-"

"KITTEN NO!" grabbing her face he kissed her as hard as he could; keeping both hands to the sides of her face and beginning to leak tears out.

SLAP!

"GET! AWAY! FROM ME!" growling she tried to run but he lunged and snagged her arm.

"NO!"

"YOU RUINED US!" trying desperately to pull away she sobbed and shook her head, "YOU RUINED US YOU RUINED US YOU DID!"

"I LOVE YOU!" holding her face he tried to kiss her again despite her violent protests, "KITTEN, darling PLEASE! LISTEN to me! Before I lose myself again LISTEN to me!"

"WHY?" snarling she shook her head and shrugged, "What will this DO, huh?" she shrugged and placed a hand on her hip, "I fucking hated you before and I will fucking always hate you until I die. You ruined my life. You ruined our children's lives…I wish Bruce fucking killed you when he had the chance,"

A single tear streamed down his lightly tanned face, "And I love you…I'll die loving you no less,"

She rolled her eyes and shifted her weight, "You said this a million times and then WHAM! JOKER TIME!"

"KITTEN PLEASE!" his voice had actually gotten hoarse from screaming and he ran a hand through his hair before coddling her.

"You made me MISERABLE and I HATE you!" sobbing she stamped her foot, "You want me AWAY you ALWAYS want me away!"

"NO NEVER! NEVER! NEVER!" he was shrieking in her face, kissing her deeply as she'd allow, "I would stay here…" dropping his voice dramatically he trembled while kissing her lips gently, petting her face, "with you…until the end of time whether you'll have me or not."

"I do not WANT you,"

"You don't mean that…" shaking his head he whimpered, "I know damn well you don't mean that!"

She growled, "I DO."

"KITTEN…!" shaking his head and growling he was too worked up to process the rejection so he just sobbed with his mouth half an inch away from hers, "I love you…I LOVE you…" a gentle kiss, "I love you, I love you, I love you…" shaking his head he stroked her jaw, "you can't forget…y-you're n-no-t allowed to forget…!" their lips brushed as he cried into her mouth and she was completely stricken, "I'll always love you, even when I pretend not to, you know how I feel…" trying to smile he sobbed harder, a sight which to her was heavily unsettling, "I worship you…! I can't live a single moment without you by my side loving or hating me…"

"I DO hate you,"

"And that's OKAY with me! Hate me! But Kitten I LOVE you! You're IT for me! You're BEAUTIFUL you're so BEAUTIFUL stop fucking thinking that you aren't and getting all that plastic surgery, you don't need it! You're so fucking beautiful!"

She rolled her eyes, "Shut UP, Jack!"

"Kitten,"

"Where WERE you all those years?" shaking her head she sobbed and wanted to smack his face, "Where WERE you, huh?"

"HERE!" slapping the wall and whimpering he cried and tried to rip her into a kiss, "I'm HERE I'm HERE I'm HERE Kitten-darling sweetheart love of my life I'm HERE!"

"No…" scowling she shook her head with clenched teeth, "no you're not."

Running a hand over his mouth and turning away the poor guy was bawling his eyes out, completely shattered and shot in the chest.

Though she wanted nothing to do with him the rest of their way through the funhouse he was right on her heels, hugging her waist silently and kissing her neck; just burying his face in the skin he lived for and trying to kiss her as much as she'd let him. Aside from not saying a word she barely reacted to his touch, not even catching the water as it poured from his eyes and how red the beautiful beige skin had gotten.

At the exit of the funhouse he kept her pressed against a wall and kept his lips trailing up her neck and onto her face, cooing to a baby, "Without you I'd die…take that with you if you can't believe anything else…" slowly he shook his head and kissed her nose, "because I'll never leave. Even if you want me to I'll never leave your side…" moving his mouth to her ear as he held her stiff body he whispered huskily, "Tell me you're pregnant tell me when you find out…I want it more than anything in the world don't listen to what comes out of my mouth…" he shuddered, "I know what I become…" kissing behind her ear he nodded, moving the lengthy raven hair out of the way so her neck could be kissed better, "but you make me better, Kitten-doll…you keep me sane…you keep me going…we'll be together a thousand years yet it won't be enough for me. I'll always want more of you, Kitten,"

Her neck finally craned and they did kiss, but it had become so passionate it spilled to the outside of the funhouse they were kissing so deeply only to watch him appear as the Joker the moment the outside air touched his skin.

Immediately he broke it and just stared at her in defeat.

_Yeah, feed the rain__  
><em>_'cause without your love my life ain't nothing but this carnival of rust_


	13. Chapter 13: Don't Walk Away

**A/N: Thannnnk you for your beauteous reviews :)! redsandman99: Oh yeah all this time she was pining over the Jack personality and when it came back she shat all over it. XPsychoBabyDollX: You're totally right, and your quote reminded me very much of Carmine Falcone in Batman Begins ;D. Awwwww and thank you sooo so much :3 that made my day. I think people are too focused on jumping the gun with Mary Sue relationships and shit, forgetting to put an actual plot in place and developing their seemingly flawless flat character. Awww I loved where he changed back too, any Jack portion of a story of mine is always my favorite I miss Heath so so much he was my first crush when I was like 12 lmao. x-xZombie-Queen: Oh yeah, especially being that a ton of inception is being performed right now, we'll see how that affects him in reality...if he lives. **

"Where the FUCK…?" shaking her head Minx turned from her spot seven feet above Batman to see he was giving the run-down apartment complex the same look. It was low-income housing…the projects.

"It's coming from in there?" Batman's brow furrowed as he gunned the engine of the Batpod and confusedly Minx nodded.

"Yeah…I'm sure it's him, I just dunno why,"

"You're asking ME?" the look Batman gave her said everything, and Minx gulped before flying a loop and zooming towards the lower windows so they could break through to the basement.

"Park that shit they're downstairs!"

…

"FUCK YOU JACK!" shaking her head Mindy violently tried to rip her wrist out of his grasp and pulled towards Break for Freedom, "GO AWAY GO AWAY!"

"Step right up and try your aim! You break the target you receive the grand prize!"

"Kitten…!" shaking his head and barring his teeth Joker glared at that awfully familiar man when she turned and shot him the evil eye.

"I came here to get AWAY from you…" nodding she narrowed her eyes and scrunched her nose, "I HATE you…you make me sick…" she didn't care that his face had completely gone pale and his hands clammy, "I never really loved you…and you never took the hint."

He didn't even try to speak anymore, just a blank disbelieving stare.

"I need you to let me go…and I need you to let me play NOW so I can get my dolly and go home."

Nodding with averted eyes he swallowed hard and fidgeted in place, "…go. I release you…" he was never holding her prisoner, "I just don't trust that guy…"

"You don't trust ANYONE," her arms folded firmly across her chest when he shook his head dejectedly.

"I trust…YOU…and only you."

Shaking her head sadistically she suddenly snorted, "You're fucking pathetic, you know that? You're a total and complete pussywhipped bitch."

If he were thinking clearly he would catch the third-person speaking…Mindy didn't talk that way. It just wasn't her style of speaking. The 'p' word never left her mouth she was a funny one like that. She had a list of words she couldn't say, some were legitimate and some were stupid like 'carrot.'

"Oh, I am…" he admitted shamelessly and took a step forwards, reaching a hand to touch her hair but she slapped it away, "and you're an ungrateful conniving dumb fucking WHORE, but I love you just the same,"

Eyeballing him she shook her head and scowled, "I would sooner work the streets than be your wife."

He let her back turn and she headed towards Break for Freedom and the man…his eyes not moving from the entire thing so he could ensure nothing funny happened. Why he still cared…it ate him alive.

"Break for Freedom! Break for Freedom! Step RIGHT on up, little one and test your aim!"

Mindy turned her back because she didn't have any money and reluctantly Joker headed over, pulled a few dollars out of his pocket, and placed them on the table, his hand slapping to the dollar bills and not moving for a moment, as if he made a grave mistake.

"I'll take THAT, young man!"

Young man…there was only one person he ever knew to recently call him that but it was too late.

"KITTEN!"

SMASH!

She threw the baseball and smashed the swirling target; the man pointed at Joker and laughed.

"And it looks like we have our WINNER!" over came the doll and Mindy cheered; hugging it tight as the gates to the carnival opened and she turned without as much as a second glance at Joker.

"KITTEN!" shaking his head once he realized the man who turned was none other than the one who threw hot tea in his eyes Joker bolted, "KITTEN-DOLL! KITTEN NO!"

The moment he touched her the Gravity Wheel burst into flame as did the swing ride and roller coaster. She turned to face him with glowing red eyes, but it was completely disregarded because he was too busy glancing about at the burning rides despite the light rain.

"Kitten come on, PLEASE!" shaking his head he pulled her under an arm but she immediately broke away, slowing striding towards the gate and the moment he tried to follow her he felt faint of heart…like he overdosed on oxycontin again.

_Don't walk away, don't walk away, oh, when the world is burning_


	14. Chapter 14: Don't Walk Away II

**A/N: Thank you for your wonderful reviews :)! XPsychoBabyDollX: LOL no it's not bad at all if he had half a brain cell left that wasn't turned to mush he would know that's not Kitten. She does have a foul mouth but her weird list of forbidden words prevents that one. For once in his life he's being an idiot.**

"Come on, come on!" holding Batman's hand Minx was running fast down the long broken hallways, the heartbeat thumping in her head over and over again to the point that it made her insane. She was following Joker's pulse; Batman merely being the muscle behind her will. He was running too, only not nearly as quickly as her. Saving Joker's life wasn't exactly something he wanted to do being the pint-sized superstar in the Minx romper was legally HIS wife, Joker was declared dead. He learned the entire story when they married and hell; even though he hated the Joker he kind of felt some sympathy for the poor bastard considering the life he led. He was the definition of leading a truly 'hard life' from what Mindy shared. Nowadays he was completely psychotic but once upon a time there lived a brilliant hard-working high school dropout with his mentally ill wife…and all it took was one bad day to completely snap him.

…

"You don't like it very much, do you?" staring at the Joker's heart palpitations the man who knocked him out shook his head and tsked, "Getting a taste of your OWN medicine…" his nose wrinkled and he sipped his tea, "you're a bully…"

He had the Joker unconscious with special sticky probes on the sides of his head tied down to a table. His jacket and weapons had all been stripped, and he just lied on his back stirring violently under the restraints in his sleep. He was having a mini-seizure.

In a deep dark basement he kept the sedated clown, light second-degree burns on his face from the hot tea being tossed into his eyes. A lone lamp hovered above the table and a monitor sat to the right indicating Joker's spiking pulse.

Circling Joker like a vulture now the man wrinkled his nose and spoke in his thick British accent, "You claim to be a freak of society yet I see you as the polar opposite…you and the Batman…like high school all over again…two top jocks sparring for the head cheerleader…meanwhile the rest of us are left to rust. The rest of us…" his nose wrinkled and a hand waved, "nobodies…the TRUE freaks of modern society! They call me the Mad Hatter…yet out of THIS city's villains I am the sanest of the latter."

"I would like to see that in writing," stepping out of the shadows was Minx, ice-blue eyes glowing.

Without hesitation the Hatter pulled a gun from his coat pocket and pointed it in her face, but what he didn't notice was she had reached into Joker's right jacket pocket and withdrew a gun. She knew where he kept all his weapons in relation to which pocket was the correct one. Now feeling she had the upper hand, Minx swallowed and began pacing around the average height man with the gun.

"Now that we understand each other…" her eyes didn't move from Joker's seizing body, "WHAT did you do to him and WHY?"

Of course the Hatter didn't give her a good answer, "Ah, and what's THIS? A surprise ending to this compelling twisted tale of lies and deceit? The little princess is coming to save the day?" he knew he wasn't amusing her and he narrowed his eyes, "Because if I know you dames in this town there is no possible way you are here without your Dark Knight!"

"Spoiler alert," that comment made the Hatter turn to be punched in the face, the gun broken with a single clench of the fist, and Batman's arms wrapped around his neck and held him in a headlock.

"YOU ask him, Batsy!" rushing to Joker's seizing body Minx's large blue eyes widened and she immediately ripped her hood off from fright, "Jack oh my god oh my god…!"

"Is he epileptic?" it was a standard question on Batman's part, and immediately Minx shook her head.

"NO!"

"Has he ever seized before?"

"NO! ASK! MEATHEAD!"

Batman tightened his hold on the Hatter's neck and scowled, "What did you do to him?"

Trying to catch his breath the Hatter began chortling and shook his head at Batman, "You'll NEVER get to him in time!"

"What does that mean?" Minx shook her head with a scowl, "WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?"

…

Watching Mindy leave Joker was practically on his hands and knees crawling towards the gates after her. Never had he felt THAT weak of heart, never. Despite his smoker's lungs he was quite healthy. The burning amusement park caused smoke to fill his lungs and he hacked for a moment, peering with bleary eyes through the smoke to find Mindy slowly moving down the street with the doll.

"Kitten…!" coughing he shook his head and tried to crawl forwards, but every step was pure agony.

She didn't even turn back.

…

"And WHY can't I go in and incept this shit again?" Minx sat on top of the Mad Hatter who was tied, gagged, and pinned to the ground courtesy of Batman, "I KNOW him BETTER than you! I MARRIED him! I have KIDS with him! I was FIVE when I met him! If ANYONE knows his fucked fucking mind it is ME! I KNOW what type of defense mechanisms his mind would pull!"

"How many inceptions have YOU performed?"

"NONE! SHIT!" shaking her head she scowled and balled a fist, "How many have YOU, dream-master?"

For a moment he didn't respond, but taking a few steps closer he bent and kissed her on the forehead, "I love you…I'm HERE for YOU…I'll bring him back."

"Hey!" standing off the Hatter, Minx reached out and ran a thumb down his lips before kissing him hard on the mouth, "I love you too…even if you do not believe me,"

"I want to…"

"You and I both know…" she gulped, "that if we were together and I left him…he would not hesitate to raze this city to the ground again before coming for YOU and not stopping until you were dead…" her hand folded in his quick and she swallowed hard, "you are allowed to date other women…I will always love you and see you in secret to be with our babies and-"

They kissed; Batman clearly taking her up on the offer before backing up and allowing Minx to put the sticky pads on his temples.

"You be safe, you understand me?"

He gave her a single nod, ready to take the injection she was preparing when her eyes widened.

"WAIT!" lifting the bell from her blood red cat collar Minx folded it in his hand, "Shake that shit so when it does not ring you know you are in dream world,"

"Who taught you that?"

"Christopher Nolan!" nodding happily she hugged his waist and kissed him, "He's a good guy."

"I'll take your word for it."

_Don't walk away, don't walk away, oh, when the heart is yearning_


	15. Chapter 15: When the World is Burning

**A/N: Thank you so much for your reviews :)! Thanks to the threat of Hurricane Irene knocking all power for god knows how long this is going a smidge early. redsandman99: We'll see how Batsy handles his mind right now :D! x-xZombie-Queen: Oh Joker won't be happy I can guarantee that...but deep down they kind of like each other even though they'll never admit it. I personally see the pair as a bit of sibling rivalry. Batsy loves to hate Joker, and Joker loves playing ping pong with Bats because he's smarter.**

Trying to crawl forwards Joker made it to the gates of the carnival, but then stopped just to pant and stare. Was this the story of his life, chasing her down? Was this what it was really all about, everything? Was he just as pathetic as his counterpart BatWayne?

Gagging and breathing much less frequently he held his throat only for a moment to cough before crawling like a wounded child yet again…she was halfway down that long rat-trap city street and not looking back.

"Kit…" he couldn't even finish the name anymore. Trying to crawl more he smacked his head against something hard…and upon lifting his eyes he realized he was trapped in a box inside the burning carnival. The fortune teller's box…he was trapped inside the small little booth and he couldn't even figure out why or how.

…

Appearing at the carnival gates Batman looked up and read the lettering, 'Carnival of Rust.' The Joker's mind…that was exactly what it was these days…one big collection of his demons and the head demon was halfway down the road. He shook the bell Minx gave him and no sound came out; he was in the right place.

"Miranda!" immediately Batman shouted, and she didn't turn so he tried louder, "MIRANDA!"

Rushing forwards he pulled her arm to see she had red glowing eyes and hardly resembled the young woman he and Joker were feuding over. Shaking his head he had to step back…she was too thin. Too thin, the eyes were red, her skin glow a deep golden, and he didn't see how anyone could be fooled by this dream impostor…unless they were blinded by passion. He knew if this were his unconscious then Joker believed every word from this broad's mouth.

Stepping into the carnival to get away from the impostor he didn't need to go far. There trapped in the fortune teller box as the world around them burned was Joker on his hands and knees, staring straight ahead at nothing while gagging.

Silently Batman moved his way and shook his head in pity, tapping the glass and shaking his head when Joker didn't even bother looking up. A scowl on his face, Joker's eyes were facing dead in front of him and nothing else.

"That's not her, Joker," finally Batman spoke up, shaking his head and searching for a door but there was none. Joker somehow had been sealed shut in the glass case.

The clown ignored that comment looking up on his own accord, though he was in a tremendous amount of anguish.

"Ahhhh are you the NEWEST patron?" weary and hoarse he still was cranking jokes out.

"How did you get in there?" Batman stared at the container and tried to thump it with a fist. Joker laughed loudly at that before leaning his head against the cage and coughing.

"What's it to ya, Batbreath? You gonna bust me out?"

"I'll make a valid attempt," he answered without nodding, searching for anything sharp when he heard something behind him…footsteps behind him.

"Oh yeah, you're doing SUCH a great job, Bats! I'm gonna call you EVERY time I'm stuck in a rut!"

"BE quiet!" hissing Batman turned and ducked the blow the first clown gave him, punching it in the face and grabbing another by the arm to flip him over his head. Joker just watched passively, his forehead rested against the glass from being so weak.

Another came at Batman; he elbowed it in the gut and grabbed the baseball bat from another, snapping it in half with his bare hands.

"Gee, shit-for-brains, that was a pretty decent weapon, wouldn't ya say so?"

"Shut up," hissing Batman shook his head and growled.

The clowns were defense mechanisms; Joker's subconscious trying to ward off the intruder. Batman grabbed an axe from one and knocked the glass case in freeing Joker, but that did nothing. He didn't budge. He just sat there watching as Batman fought valiantly against the swarm of clowns. Wakeup time was coming soon though and he needed the Joker; quickly he reached over and pulled Joker under his arm, which made the young man twitch out violently and shake his head.

"No! Hey! When I said you completed me I didn't mean THIS way! NO! Hey! NO! Where do you think we are, San Fran? Kitten god damn hates me enough don't make her think-"

"She's," Batman paused to beat off a clown before scowling, "that's not her! You're in a dream none of this is real! This is all your subconscious!"

Joker gave him a REAL disbelieving look before snorting and shaking his head, "If YOU'RE here then I must have passed out on Elm Street!"

"I'm being serious,"

"And so am I," nodding Joker tried to cringe at a clown coming at him with a wrench but Batman knocked him out, adjusting his hold on Joker's limp body and shaking his head, "I'm more than certain I'm not a latent homosexual…even beyond my WILDEST dreams,"

"I don't want to know what those are,"

"Awwww are you trying to tell me something," he coughed, "Batso? It's okay, you're among friends,"

Batman would have dropped Joker if the alarm didn't go off.

…

"Fuck fuck fuck!" Minx grabbed a basin and turned over the water on Batman's face, craning her neck to see Gordon was already there with his hold on the Hatter since she had called him. For once he wouldn't be arresting Joker.

_Don't walk away, don't walk away, oh, when the world is burning_


	16. Chapter 16: When the Heart is Yearning

**A/N: THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR AWESOME REVIEWS :DDD! This is indeed the final chapter of this story and eerily as I was editing this morning I realized it was 666 words long without the author's note...creepy shit I almost smacked the clown to add a few more words but he liked it this way :P. This story may be ending now but I already have another shorter one around this length completed and a super super long one that is in the works ;). The story succeeding this one is called Mother Murder, if you haven't heard the Hollywood Undead song I suggest you do so and you'll see just how intense this next one will be (and also you'll get the plot in the lyrics :D). Again, I want to thank you all SO SO much for your reviews I really do love them so much :))! I promise I will not kill off my lovely sexy asshole version of Joker/Jack that yes, I believe is true to the film as well. Until next time I again thank you! xoxo Vermi. **

Leaning over Batman Minx gasped as he sat up and Joker's body jolted awake simultaneously.

"Br-BATS!" immediately Minx was hugging his shoulders and checking his face worriedly when Gordon looked over from where a few of his men were taking the Hatter away.

"Where is he?" Batman craned his neck to see Joker was sitting up with a hand in his hair, looking around instinctively until he saw the inevitable. Minx went to the BATMAN over him. He didn't say anything though he just flicked his tongue out as if he had a nasty taste and ruffled his hair because it was falling flat.

Minx deliberately was ignoring him, which was making him nuts. In fact she, Batface, and Gordo all went off into their own contingent to discuss and try to figure out what to do with the Mad Hatter when Gordon decided to just keep him in holding until they could get a mental evaluation of him.

Disgusted, Joker just put his jacket back on and straightened himself out before heading over to the handcuffed Mad Hatter, who eyeballed him and grinned dryly.

"I almost feared you'd been lost in your own psyche…"

Pulling a cigarette out of his pocket Joker just stuck it between his teeth and nodded, "Oh I did…" raising his eyebrows he reached behind a wary cop and pulled something out though he wasn't looking, "you got me REAL good, Macrocephaly…" licking his lips he scowled, "lucky for ME…I get by with a little help from my friends…" wrinkling his nose he nodded with a grimace, "pays off in this town to not be a COMPLETE loser."

WHACK! WHACK! WHACK!

"Hey! Hey hey hey hey!" cops tried to seize Joker immediately as he beat on the Mad Hatter with a nightstick he stole from a cop's pocket and that immediately caught Minx's eye.

"YO! NANCY!" that shrill shout snared Joker's attention, but he was too focused on killing Hatter and not making it quick with a gun.

Batman stepped forwards and went to pull Joker away when Minx just couldn't take it and left the basement. That immediately made Joker stop and look around the room before making eye contact with Batman, smoothing his own hair, and lighting up his cigarette.

"What'd you see in there, Batbreath?" his eyebrow raised amusedly, "Anything…ex-CITING?"

Looking his longtime adversary in the eye Batman did answer, "Everything burned."

Joker nodded along before leaving because he technically did nothing wrong this time around. No one was arresting him tonight when that mother fucker tried to turn him into a dream-eaten vegetable. Gordon was clearly hesitant to let Joker go, but there were more important matters than the clown tonight.

Instead Joker smoked his cigarette up the stairwells and made his way to the lobby of the old apartment complex. There she stood in the night absent of moon; her hood actually off and the heavy rain dampening her hair. He grimaced, cringed, and rubbed the back of his neck before carefully striding over and removing his coat; draping it over her shoulders and wrapping an arm around her shoulders. He kissed her temple before murmuring.

"I'm sorry."

Angrily she turned to face him before raising an eyebrow and scowling, "For what?"

Taken aback by the coldness he shook his head, "I don't know…" that wasn't the reaction he anticipated from her.

"You're welcome by the way," nodding she ripped herself away from him and started quickly moving away from the complex, "Come on, the babies had a fucking heart attack when I could not find you. The forecast says three more days of this bullshit and then you can go off on your merry way."

He wasn't going to leave after three days; he wasn't going to leave after a thousand days that was her schizophrenia talking. Swallowing he moved to her side and hooked two of his fingers through hers.

_Don't walk away, don't walk away, oh, when the heart is yearning_

**THE END**


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